Boulevard Pereire

Imagine strolling down the bustling Boulevard Pereire, a broad artery that slices through the heart of Paris’s 17th arrondissement. This grand boulevard is a testament to the vision of the Pereire brothers, entrepreneurs and visionaries who shaped much of Paris’s urban landscape during the 19th century. They saw a chance to turn barren land into a thriving residential haven. The boulevard’s very existence is linked to the creation of the Auteuil railway line, a project the brothers championed. The line ran along a trench. From this trench, the Pereire brothers carved out their boulevard. It wasn’t just about transport. The boulevard, with its graceful curves, was designed to be a showcase of Haussmann’s architectural ideals. Along the path, elegant buildings, some dating back to the 1860s, lined the route like sentinels. Inside these buildings, the whispers of history still echo. The famed composer Maurice Ravel once lived at number 19. The painter and designer, Andre Foy, found a home at number 63. Then there’s number 102. This is an interesting one. It houses the private catholic school, Sainte-Ursule, where the enrollment has grown dramatically, from over 270 in 1933 to over 1,600 in 2013.
Now, step away from the bustle of boulevard life. It’s not all grand Parisian homes. The boulevard is home to some unexpected treasures: a tranquil public promenade that runs along the former Auteuil line. The line was covered in the late 1980s, making way for this peaceful green space. The promenade is a haven of peace, a place to escape the Paris hustle. And it’s only one of the many reasons why Boulevard Pereire, the boulevard that was born from a railway line, became a symbol of urban transformation of modern Paris.