Richard Stockton Dunlap, PhD’s Post

View profile for Richard Stockton Dunlap, PhD, graphic

Architectural Research | Design

The #PalaisRoyal (1781-1785) was one of the most ambitious speculative developments in #Paris in the eighteenth century.   Architect #VictorLouis (1731-1800) specified a series of three nearly identical facades surrounding the northern sector of the site, each composed of a series of repetitive bays carved from high quality Parisian limestone. The exterior stone work consisted of #modular units that could be mass-produced by a team of stone carvers and then assembled on-site by skilled masons. The structure was complete in 1784 and interior decoration continued for an additional year. The resulting architecture was intentionally repetitive, beautifully assembled, and luxuriously expensive. The Palais-Royal quickly became one of the most fashionable locations in central #Paris, with ground-floor arcades protecting visitors from inclement weather, and shops and restaurants sheltered within that were open to the public at specified times, attracting all levels of society. Victor Louis’ modular, mixed-use building type with public arcade—though not his exuberant and costly decorative scheme—served as a successful prototype for many urban interventions in the nineteenth century. Modular construction in carved stone, perfected over the course of many decades, became one of the defining features of urban design in Paris.   Image: Victor Louis (1731-1800), Bay 87, eastern aisle of the Palais-Royal (1781-1785), 1st arrondissement, Paris [© RSD Images].

  • No alternative text description for this image

To view or add a comment, sign in

Explore topics