Did you know Avenue Buffon in Paris was once a humble path? It wasn’t always the elegant street we see today. Avenue Buffon’s history stretches back to around 1790. Before that it was known as Rue de la Desserte du Jardin des Plantes. That’s because it was a service road for the Royal Garden of Plants.
The name Buffon is a tribute to Georges Louis Leclerc. He was a renowned French naturalist and writer. More importantly he was the director of the Jardin du Roi. The garden expanded over time. Avenue Buffon’s location near the garden is why it got its name.
Imagine a time before Avenue Buffon existed. A time of marshes and small farms. Pierre Jubert de Basseville an engineer created a map in 1739. The map shows the area as a simple path. It connected the Jardin-du-Roi to workshops and more gardens. Twenty-six years later it became a paved road. This was thanks to Rivière a royal geometer and surveyor.
A pâtissier-traiteur named Dubois had a shop near the end of the nascent avenue. His shop was actually the former Patouillet estate. He didn’t own all of the estate though. Parts of it belonged to private owners even in 1663. The Jardin des Plantes eventually absorbed most of the estate. The Patouillet name was lost to history.
The Jardin des Plantes itself has a rich history. Jacques Canaye acquired the Genovese seigneury in 1603. His ancestors were dyers who rivaled the Gobelins. In 1625 Philémon Voisin the king’s secretary renewed the act of vassalage. This involved the royal medicinal plant garden. It covered about twenty-one acres including the Coypeaux hill. This served as a roadway for the subjects of the Sainte-Geneviève abbey.
Antoine Vallot King Louis XIII’s chief physician occupied the land. However Louis XIII purchased the entire property in 1633. Guy-Labrosse became the intendant of the Jardin-du-Roi. Despite the presence of Tournefort and Jussieu the Royal School of Natural History didn’t thrive until Dufay’s stewardship. Dufay secured Buffon’s place at the Jardin des Plantes.
Buffon modernized the botanical school. He bought the Hôtel de Magny. He built a large amphitheater. He doubled the size of the garden through acquisitions. He planted long avenues. He transformed the path into the street we know today. The street wasn’t fully extended until 1790. This happened at the expense of the grassy paths of the Clos Patouillet. Buffon bought Clos Patouillet in 1777 before its incorporation into the Jardin-du-Roi.
The same happened with the Copeau house. It belonged to Tassin in 1755. A tax declaration was passed sixteen years later by Georges-Louis Leclerc. He was the squire lord of Buffon. He confirmed ownership in 1778 as the Comte de Buffon.
Buffon’s son before the Terror sold land. This land was between Avenue Buffon and the Gobelins waterway. He sold it to Mille a locksmith. Mille built number 23 on Avenue Buffon. He created the gates of the Jardin des Plantes and the Belvedere pavilion. A true masterpiece of iron and copper.
Number 25 housed Esquirol. He was a physician who pioneered using human emotions to treat mental illnesses. He was consulted worldwide. Another physician Métivet worked at the Salpêtrière and lived in the same building. The Loizerolles family also lived there. They experienced the horrors of the Revolution.
Father and son Loizerolles were arrested. They awaited execution at Saint-Lazare. The father saved his son’s life by answering for him during the roll call. One Loizerolles perished the other was spared.
Numbers 53 and 55 house buildings from the previous century. They served as storage and housing for the garden’s employees. Some numbers are for building plots. Once many gardeners lived here. Now there are only a few. Number 61 belonged to Dubief a carpenter. He made wood for many new buildings in the area. His sons were model students.
Finally across from Buffon’s old residence at number 73 lived Dom Théodore. A modest scholar and naturalist.
So next time you stroll down Avenue Buffon remember its rich history. Remember the people who shaped this Parisian street. Remember its transformation from a humble path to the elegant avenue we know today.