Hôtel de Nevers, Private mansion in 2nd arrondissement, France.
The Hôtel de Nevers is a private mansion on rue de Richelieu in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, of which only three sections of the original facade remain today. These surviving portions are now part of the National Library complex and show classical French architectural details from the 17th century.
The mansion was built in 1646 by architect Pierre Le Muet and was initially part of Cardinal Mazarin's palace, becoming an independent residence after his death in 1661. A large demolition carried out in the 19th century destroyed most of the structure, leaving only a few fragments standing.
The Marquise de Lambert held a literary salon here in the early 18th century, drawing writers and thinkers who met regularly to exchange ideas. Her gatherings were among the most talked-about in Paris at the time.
The surviving facade sections can be seen from rue Colbert without entering the site. The interior is not open to the public, as the building is part of the National Library.
Only three original bays of the facade survived the 19th-century demolition, making this fragment one of the few remaining traces of aristocratic Paris from the 1600s. The rest of the street was transformed so completely that these bays now stand in sharp contrast to everything around them.
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