In the heart of Paris, nestled beside the serene gardens of the Paris Observatory, stands the Hôtel de Massa. This elegant 18th-century mansion, a true hôtel particulier, holds a story as grand as its façade. This wasn’t always its home though. Originally, the Hôtel de Massa graced the avenue des Champs-Élysées, a witness to the city’s vibrant history.
The Hôtel de Massa was built for Thiroux de Montsauge, a prominent figure in finance during the reign of Louis XVI. Imagine grand fêtes galantes, whispers of romance between Charles, Count d’Artois, and the captivating tales of Emmanuel Duplessis de Richelieu-Fronsac echoing through the halls. However, the winds of change blew through France with the Revolution. The hôtel changed hands, becoming a symbol of the tumultuous times.
But fate, it seems, had other plans for the Hôtel de Massa. It caught the eye of Napoleon Bonaparte himself. He reclaimed it for the state and later gifted it to an Italian ambassador. The hôtel continued its journey through the hands of countesses and barons. One poignant tale speaks of the Duke of Massa, who in 1870, as Prussian troops marched down the Champs-Élysées, dramatically closed his shutters vowing not to reopen them until France had its revenge. The honor fell to his grandson on July 14th, 1918.
By the 1920s, the hôtel faced demolition. Two businessmen, Théophile Bader of Galeries Lafayette fame, and André Lévy, an investor with a keen eye, saw its potential. They envisioned a grand commercial complex in its place. Thankfully, the Hôtel de Massa had a guardian angel: Édouard Herriot, the Minister of Education. He orchestrated a remarkable feat: the relocation of the entire mansion, stone by stone, to its current location.
Today, the Hôtel de Massa stands as a testament to resilience and the enduring spirit of art and literature. It serves as the headquarters of the Société des Gens de Lettres, fittingly just a stone’s throw from where Honoré de Balzac found inspiration for his human comedy.