Once called the Emperor’s avenue, Avenue Franklin-D.-Roosevelt has a story. It stretches almost 1000 meters. It runs from Place du Trocadero to Place de l’Alma.
Avenue Franklin-D.-Roosevelt opened in 1858. It got its current name in 1918. This was while the Paris Peace Conference happened in January 1919. The former avenue du Trocadéro was reopened. It now honored Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The avenue sits near the Eiffel Tower. It is also near the Seine. This chic location made it popular with the wealthy. Many French nobles and celebrities lived here. Albert I Prince of Monaco once resided here. Pierre Renoir and Johnny Hallyday called it home.
Like Washington and Wilson streets, Avenue Franklin-D.-Roosevelt is in the 8th arrondissement. It runs through the Champs-Élysées. A metro station shares the president’s name. It once bore the name avenue Victor-Emmanuel III. After World War II it was renamed. This honored President Roosevelt after his death. The avenue has many exclusive hotels. The Palais de la découverte is also located here.
Five streets in Paris honor US Presidents. Avenue Franklin-D.-Roosevelt is one of them. You can find all five in the 8th or 16th arrondissements. Take metro lines 1 and 8. Walk from the Champs-Élysées to the Eiffel Tower. You will pass them all.
The Franco-American relationship is storied. Paris has many streets named after Americans. Inventors diplomats and philanthropists are honored. Politicians too have Parisian streets named after them.
France supported the American Patriots. This support came during their Revolutionary War. The French Revolution followed. It was largely triggered and inspired by the American war. Relations grew stronger during the early Third Republic. Both countries were major republics. American support was vital to France in both world wars. France benefited from the Marshall Plan. The two countries remain key allies in NATO. The US has left its mark on Paris for centuries.
Several Parisian locations honor past presidents. Rue Washington honors the first US president. Square Thomas-Jefferson honors the third. Rue Lincoln honors the sixteenth president. Avenue du Président-Wilson remembers the president from World War I. Avenue Franklin-Delano-Roosevelt pays tribute to the president from World War II. Avenue du Général-Eisenhower honors the general. Avenue du Président-Kennedy honors John F. Kennedy.
These streets cluster in the west of the city. They are specifically in the 8th and 16th arrondissements. This may be due to their nearness to the US embassy. It is at the Place de la Concorde.
Avenue Franklin-Delano-Roosevelt was renamed because of fascist Italy. Other streets were renamed too. The Avenue de New-York was once the Avenue de Tokio. Its name changed due to wartime opposition to Japan.
Avenue Franklin-D.-Roosevelt stands as a testament. It shows the enduring bond between France and the United States. It reminds us of shared history. It also reminds us of mutual respect.