Hôtel de Vendôme, Private mansion in 6th arrondissement, Paris, France.
Hôtel de Vendôme is a private mansion at 60-62 boulevard Saint-Michel, on the corner with rue Auguste-Comte in the 6th arrondissement. Its light stone facade has a triangular pediment carved with a coat of arms above three storeys; the two upper floors each carry a central balcony with black metal railing across three tall windows, arched below and rectangular above, over a rusticated ground level with a central entrance and steps. Four wings enclose a covered central courtyard.
Built in 1707 by Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond for Antoine de La Porte, the mansion defined the streetscape from its inception. Major renovations and expansions between 1840 and 1866 under different architects shaped its current appearance.
The name Vendôme comes from the duchess who leased the mansion after 1707. Since 1815 it has housed the École des Mines, and its Musée de Minéralogie displays mineral specimens in the former private rooms. The 1854 and 1856 staircase paintings by Hugard and Abel de Pujol can still be seen inside.
Access is limited because the building primarily serves as a research and educational facility and is not open for regular visits. Those interested should check in advance whether special openings or guided tours are available.
The 5th Duke of Chaulnes, Michel Ferdinand d'Albert d'Ailly, died in the mansion in 1769; he kept part of his large library there and ran his scientific experiments in its rooms. His son, the 6th Duke, held the lease but never lived there, subletting it until the Revolution, when it was confiscated.
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