“Think of a time capsule” I say. We are standing before Impasse Réaumur. It is a place woven into the fabric of Parisian history. It is not widely known but its story is still captivating.
Impasse Réaumur whispers tales of transformation. It speaks of a Paris reshaped. The story of Impasse Réaumur actually begins with Rue Réaumur.
Rue Réaumur owes its existence to the grand Haussmannian transformations under the Second Empire. Imagine a Paris of narrow winding streets. Then picture Baron Haussmann’s vision. He wanted wide boulevards. Rue Réaumur became one of these arteries. It stretches east to west parallel to the Grands Boulevards.
But here is a twist. Rue Réaumur did not entirely erase the past. It absorbed sections of older streets like Rue Phélipeaux and Rue Thévenot. Look closely and you might spot remnants of these lost streets. The name Thévenot is still engraved at the corner of Rue des Petits-Carreaux.
The initial section of Rue Réaumur emerged between 1854 and 1858. This stretch connected Rue du Temple and Rue Saint-Denis. It swallowed up several smaller streets. These included Rue Royale-Saint-Martin and Rue du Marché-Saint-Martin.
The creation of Rue Réaumur and Rue de Turbigo caused many streets to disappear. These included Impasse Saint-Martin and Impasse Saint-Nicolas.
The final section of Rue Réaumur was completed later. It happened under the Third Republic. President Félix Faure inaugurated it in February 1897. This section displayed industrial and commercial architecture. Monumental facades arose often featuring exposed metal structures.
Rue Réaumur is named after René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur. He was a renowned French physicist and naturalist. Réaumur lived from 1683 to 1757. He is known for inventing the alcohol thermometer.
Rue Réaumur boasts remarkable buildings. Many date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Architects and sculptors displayed exuberance. They were free from strict Haussmannian uniformity.
At number 51 Rue Réaumur once stood the headquarters of Félix Potin stores. A magnificent cupola overlooks the Metro station exit. During renovations in 2015 workers unearthed over 200 skeletons. These were remains from the Trinité cemetery.
Numbers 61-63 Rue Réaumur showcase Art Nouveau style. Architects Philippe Jouannin and Édouard Singery designed it around 1898. Sculptures represent the months of the year zodiac signs and seasons.
The building at 82-92 Rue Réaumur once housed the A Réaumur department store. Jean Baptiste Gobert-Martin founded it in 1897. It was the first to offer mail-order clothing.
Number 100 Rue Réaumur has a rich history. It housed L’Intransigeant. Later it housed Pariser Zeitung during the Occupation. After that it was home to France-Soir.
So as you stand here remember the many layers of history beneath your feet. Impasse Réaumur is a reminder. Paris is always evolving. New stories are being written upon the old.