A metaphorical letter ‘I’ could describe the shape of a street. That street is the Rue Henri Dessent in Paris. While we may not be standing on the famed Rue de Rivoli today, its story echoes through the streets of Paris.
The Rue de Rivoli’s tale begins in a time of revolution. Imagine Paris yearning for a grand thoroughfare, a desire that arose during the Ancien Régime. Yet, it remained unfulfilled for quite some time.
The revolutionary revolts around the Tuileries highlighted the need for a main artery connecting the Place de la Concorde and the Louvre. Even Bonaparte recognized this problem. He had suppressed the Royalist revolt of 13 Vendémiaire, Year 6, at the church of Saint-Roch in Rue Saint-Honoré.
Taking inspiration from a revolutionary project of 1793, Napoleon, as First Consul, decreed the creation of a series of openings. These connected the Tuileries gardens, Place Vendôme, Rue Saint-Honoré, Rue Saint-Florentin, and the gardens of the convents of the Assumption. Also connected were the Capucines and the Feuillants. This new road was christened Rivoli. It was a tribute to Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Rivoli. This project also led to the creation of Rue Castiglione and Rue des Pyramides.
Demolition and clearing commenced in 1802. By 1803, Rue de Rivoli stretched from Place de la Concorde to the present-day Rue de l’Echelle. It ran alongside the Tuileries gardens and palace, as well as the Louvre. The road was even paved for Napoleon’s coronation in 1804.
Architects Percier and Fontaine designed buildings to harmonize with the park and palaces. They chose ordered façades with arcades. These arcades offered Parisians an elegant place for promenades. The only previous use of such a design was the Rue des Colonnes, built during the Directory period. The dimensions of Rue de Rivoli gave an impression of severe elegance and rigorous grandiosity. This style was characteristic of the Neoclassicism of the time.
All buildings on Rue de Rivoli followed strict regulations. They had three storeys over a ground floor and mezzanines with arcades. Stone was required for the façades. The first floor featured a light modillioned entablature with wrought iron balconies. A shorter second storey, with an attic and balustrade, topped the structure. Only the roofs varied.
This monumentality suited Napoleon’s desire for a prestigious promenade. Decrees prohibited certain shops, such as butcher shops and those using ovens or hammers. Shop signs were forbidden in the arcades.
These restrictions deterred prospective buyers. In 1811, the emperor offered incentives, including a twenty-year tax exemption. Later, this was raised to thirty years.
By the end of the Empire, only the arcades and a few buildings were complete. The project gained momentum and was finished in subsequent regimes. The temporary government of the Second Republic decided to extend the road to Rue Marengo in 1848. Legislation to extend it to the Hôtel de Ville passed in 1851. Haussmann completed the road to its present end at the St Paul metro station.
Fontaine’s architecture was preserved to Rue du Louvre. However, the original building specifications were removed for the eastern end of the street.
Victor Hugo captured the essence of the modern capital. He said, “Old Paris is now nothing more than one eternal road. Stretching out, with the elegant straightness of a letter ‘I’, To the refrain: Rivoli, Rivoli, Rivoli.” This echoes the story of how streets like Rue Henri Dessent connect to the grand narrative of Paris.