Whispers of leaves rustling in a lost park echo along the Allée de la Belle Feuille. This street in the 16th arrondissement holds stories within its 640 meters. Let me tell you about the Allée de la Belle Feuille.
The Allée de la Belle Feuille begins at Place de Mexico. It ends at Place du Chancelier-Adenauer. The street divides into two distinct sections at Avenue Victor-Hugo. The northern part is wider and more residential. It houses some fancy headquarters of multinational companies. The southern section becomes narrower. It is a more commercial and lively area, linking to the Trocadéro district.
The name Allée de la Belle Feuille translates to “Avenue of the Beautiful Leaf”. The name is said to come from leaves of trees. This is because the street once ran alongside the walls of a park. This park has now completely disappeared.
The Allée de la Belle Feuille was created in 1825. Back then it was part of the former commune of Passy. The section from Place de Mexico to Avenue Victor-Hugo was called “Rue des Belles-Feuilles”. The segment between Avenue Victor-Hugo and Place du Chancelier-Adenauer was named “Rue des Biches”. Both streets were merged later. They were classified as part of Parisian roads by decree.
At number 16 Allée de la Belle Feuille you can find the Belles-Feuilles shopping center. At number 22 behind a coach door lies the Brazet tapestry workshop. It was founded after World War II by Jacques Brazet. The workshop collaborated with French museums and castles. These include Versailles, Fontenaibleau and Malmaison. In 1986 Jacques’ son Rémy took over the business. He expanded it internationally. He participated in the restoration of American collections. Examples are the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The Brazet workshop employs about ten artisans. It received the Entreprise du patrimoine vivant label in 2007.
The novelist and journalist Alexandra Roubé-Jansky lived at number 26 Allée de la Belle Feuille. She lived there with Pierre-Louis Rehm in 1932-1933. You can find the Impasse des Belles-Feuilles at number 48. The headquarters of the Lafarge company is located at number 61.
Number 54 Allée de la Belle Feuille was once home to a clinic. It no longer exists. The stage director Yves Krier was born here in 1955. Now a school is at this address. The Embassy of Chad is located at number 65. The building was constructed in the early 20th century by architect Louis Sorel.
The Embassy of Congo in Paris used to be on Allée de la Belle Feuille. It shared its space with other embassies. These included the embassies of Benin and Cameroon.
The Allée de la Belle Feuille was home to Prime Minister Pierre Bérégovoy. The private mansion of the Schneider family was also located here. The jewelry designer Jeanne Toussaint also lived on this street.
So, as you walk along the Allée de la Belle Feuille consider its layers. It changed from a path beside a leafy park to a street lined with businesses and residences.