“A walk in the park, that’s what this is”, I overheard a dad say to his little daughter. That is what the Allée des Violettes offers. Let’s stroll down this charming path and uncover its hidden stories.
The Allée des Violettes may seem like a simple street. However, its name suggests a connection to the violet flower. Perhaps it was once lined with these fragrant blooms. Sadly I could not find information on how the street got its name.
However, I was able to find out some interesting facts about another street with a similar name. Rue Violet is located in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. Rue Violet owes its name to Léonard Violet. He was a municipal councilor of the former commune of Vaugirard. He was also a real estate entrepreneur.
Between 1824 and 1829, Léonard Violet purchased land from the commune. He divided it into lots. This area stretched south of the current Boulevard de Grenelle. It extended between Rue de la Croix-Nivert and the Seine.
Rue Violet begins at Boulevard de Grenelle. It ends at Place Violet. It intersects with Rue Fondary, Rue du Théâtre, and Avenue Émile-Zola. Rue Violet also crosses paths with several other streets and passages. Metro stations Avenue Émile Zola and Commerce serve the area.
Originally, Rue Violet extended to Place Dupleix. A section between Place Dupleix and Boulevard de Grenelle was detached. It became Rue Dupleix.
Several notable buildings and places of memory line Rue Violet. At number 12 once stood a small house. Léonard Violet passed away there in 1881. Number 40 marks the location of Grenelle’s first town hall. Mr. Juge, the first mayor, established the town hall in a modest building. It has since been destroyed. He chose this location because the adjacent land allowed him to build Grenelle’s first school.
The address numbers 42-44 house the Congregation Sœurs-Saint-Paul. César Pinaud, a chief inspector in Frédéric Dard’s San-Antonio detective novels, lived at number 45. At number 57 stands the mother house of the religious congregation of the Little Sisters of the Assumption. Number 60 faces the old town hall. Here was the former Violet Street clinic. The actor Gérard Philipe was operated on here on November 9. He then passed away on November 25, 1959. Number 69 houses the former Grenelle town hall. It is a listed historical monument. Anselme Payen, a chemist, had his house at numbers 75-77. After his death, it became the Payen asylum in 1874. The painter Edmond Heuzé was born at number 87.
Today, the Allée des Violettes offers a quiet escape. Take a moment to appreciate its simple beauty. Think about the history of similar streets and the people who shaped them. Streets and parks like Allée des Violettes remind us of the past. They invite us to create our own stories.