Whispered secrets linger in the air as we stand here on Allée de l’Anjou. This unassuming street has witnessed centuries of Parisian life. Allée de l’Anjou is in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. Let me tell you its story.
The story of Allée de l’Anjou begins in the 16th century. Back then it was known by a less glamorous name: Rue des Morfondus. Imagine a young Louis d’Ailleboust de Coulonge moving here in 1638. He later became the governor of New France. He lived here with his wife Barbe de Boullongne. This street saw his beginnings.
Later, Allée de l’Anjou received its current name. It was named in honor of the Duke of Anjou. He later became King Henri III of France in 1574. Before 1860, another street shared this name. It was the eastern end of Rue Pastourelle in the 3rd arrondissement.
In the 12th century, this area was known as “clos de la Ville l’Évêque”. The Bishop of Paris owned a country house here. For a long time, it was a rural area with farms small houses and gardens. Allée de l’Anjou was paved in 1649 between Faubourg Saint-Honoré and Rue de la Ville-l’Évêque.
The development of the Champs-Élysées started in 1670. Wealthy financiers and nobles began building mansions here. An order of the Council in 1724 ordered the street to be extended. This extension would reach the grand sewer. Another order in 1726 confirmed this plan. The new section had to be four toises wide. The street was extended to Rue Neuve-des-Mathurins, now Rue des Mathurins.
The beginning of Faubourg Saint-Honoré and Allée de l’Anjou were annexed to Paris. This happened by order of the King’s Council. Despite being outside the capital’s walls near Porte Saint-Honoré at the Church of the Assumption.
At that time, only two small houses stood on the east side of Allée de l’Anjou. One was at the corner of Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré. The other at the corner of Rue de Surène. The land along the street was owned by Dame Bergerat. She was the wife of Sieur Doye. She donated it to Dame Bodemegarre.
Later it came into the possession of Antoine Mazin. He was an engineer for King Louis XV. Mazin divided the land and built houses. These buildings were numbered 1 to 6. After Mazin died in 1740, his heirs sold the most important building. It was number 5. Pierre Oursin, Seigneur d’Ygoville bought it. Building number 4 was sold to Marie-Anne Mercier.
By 1770 all land was sold. In 1778, King Louis XVI ordered the street to be extended again. It would reach Rue de la Roche, now Rue du Rocher. The new section would be named Rue Quatremère. This honored François Bernard Quatremère de l’Épine. However, the extension only reached Rue de la Pépinière. This section also became known as Allée de l’Anjou-Saint-Honoré in 1796.
Just before the French Revolution, a new numbering system was introduced. The numbers started on the left side and returned on the right. The Hôtel de Contades on the left was number 7. The building at the corner of Rue de Surène on the right was number 130.
A ministerial decision in 1797 set the minimum width of Allée de l’Anjou. It was 8 meters between Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré and Rue de la Ville-l’Évêque. It was 8.44 meters between Rue de la Ville-l’Évêque and Rue de la Pépinière. A royal order later prescribed a uniform width of 10 meters.
The Marquis de La Fayette lived at number 35 during the Restoration. He was near his son Georges. The sculptor Étienne Maurice Falconet also owned property on Allée de l’Anjou.
Today, Allée de l’Anjou stands as a testament to Paris’s evolving history. It has witnessed royal processions artistic movements and the daily lives of Parisians. Take a moment to appreciate the stories etched into its stones. They whisper of a past that continues to shape the present.