Hi Guys!

We're planning to develop a Paris-inspired community in OC and I could always think of great architectural works in some Marie Antoinette movies.

We might be visiting by early 2011 but before that, I would like to get your consensus on which affluent community best represents the Paris architecture during the 18th-19th centuries.

Or what is the most beautiful 18th century neighborhood in Paris? I can't think of any other cities in France at this point - so a neighborhood outside Paris would also be welcomed.

It would be best to support your answer with good quality pictures too. ;)

Merci!

Hi Guys!
Or what is the most beautiful 18th century neighborhood in Paris? I can't think of any other cities in France at this point - so a neighborhood outside Paris would also be welcomed.

Even in Paris it's difficult to find an area entirely dating from the 18th c. without any buildings of the 19th c... I just tell you where you can find rather homogeneous areas prior to the 19th. c., in addition to Concorde and Vendome squares modified with new monuments in the 19th c. or the view over the banks of the Seine from the Pont des Arts.

Saint Louis island dates entirely of the 18th c. except both its extremities and the enlargement of the rue des deux ponts which links its central bridges.

On the left bank all the area North of boulevard Saint Germain until the river, except around boulevard Saint Michel and particularly :
- west of rue de Bièvres until Saint Julien le Pauvre church : one of the best area for cinema decor (more westward, the Saint Severin area with rue de la Huchette has become too touristy).
- westward again, the area north of rue Saint André des arts between boulevard Saint Michel and rue Mazarine which is rather similar to the residential area north of rue de l'Université between rue des Saints Pères and rue du Bac (less commercial than the area of the Ecole des Beaux Arts situated between those 2 areas, except the well preserved passage Dauphine : a good decor for cinema too).
- South of the rue Saint André des arts, the Cour du Commerce Saint André and Cour de Rohan : another good area often used for cinema decor and westward the area of Saint Germain des Prés church notably around place de Furstemberg.
- Southward, between boulevard Saint-Germain and rue de Vaugirard, the area of the Odeon theatre, a very homogeneous Louis XVI district from rue Monsieur le Prince to rue de Tournon, then westward the area of Saint Sulpice church until rue Bonaparte, in particular near rue Guisarde and above all rue Férou and rue Servandoni : some of the best areas for cinema decor.

Many other streets in the 5th, 6th and 7th arrondissements, like around rue Tournefort (with a lower density), the rue Champollion (5th), etc... or the many aristocratic mansions of the faubourg Saint Germain and parts of their streets (7th).

On the right bank the streets and buildings are often more commercialy altered. Are nevertheless interesting too :
- the Palais Royal area with its garden, in particular rue de Beaujolais and westward until rue Sainte Anne.
- Many streets of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th arrondissements notably in the Marais district :
In the 4th arrondissement, the well preserved rue Aubriot and rue des Guillemites in the area between rue Simon le Franc to rue des Rosiers and rue de la Verrerie to rue du Roi de Sicile, the areas of rue Quincampoix, of rue Charles V, of the place du marché Sainte Catherine, of the place des Vosges (17th c.), of rue des Francs Bourgeois, the small rue du Prévot, etc..., many mansions like those of the National Archives.
Many streets of the 3rd arrondissement (sometimes a bit commercially altered) like the areas between rue de Montmorency and rue au Maire to rue Volta, between rue du Parc Royal and rue de Poitou, around rue Dupetit Thouars, around rue Charlot.
Some streets of the 2nd arrondissement like the very typical 17-18th c. popular district between rue d'Aboukir and boulevard de Bonne Nouvelle, the area between rue Tiquetonne and rue Saint-Sauveur, the area north of the place des Victoires until rue du Croissant.

Even some streets of the 1st arrondissement around Saint Roch church or rue Saint Honoré or of the 11th like the Cour Damoye...

Outside Paris, some cities with 18th c. districts are for example Bordeaux, Aix en Provence or Nancy, even some more common areas in Nantes, Lyon, Montpellier, Besançon, or Rennes, Toulouse, etc... and in Paris region Versailles (west of market square).

Plutôt exhaustif comme réponse. Chapeau pour ta connaissance.

Good list of 18th C areas in Paris. However, the Ile St Louis was fully developed by the end of the 17th C and with the exception of the eastern and western extremities most of the houses date from that period.

We're planning to develop a Paris-inspired community in OC
huh?

and I could always think of great architectural works in some Marie Antoinette movies.


re-huh?


I really want to see what a "Paris-inspired community" looks like in Orange county :lol:

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/1574/monograf11.jpg

Here is a map of APUR from Minato Ku. Everything in purple is before 1800. That fits rather well with most of my list. On the other hand it's difficult to say what's the most beautifull part : Palais Royal, Pont des Arts, Ile Saint Louis, place Vendôme, place des Vosges, a mansion, a block of common houses ? Personaly I like the oldest very homogeneous authentical parts like the area of Bonne Nouvelle even if it's not in good state and a lot of isolated street : Aubriot, Tournon, St-Sauveur, Férou, Bièvres, Cardinale, etc...

Hi Guys!

We're planning to develop a Paris-inspired community in OC and I could always think of great architectural works in some Marie Antoinette movies.

While I think it's great to get some ideas from Paris, it would be very silly, awful, tacky, and kitschy if this part of Metro Los Angeles completely copied Paris.

Los Angeles (OC included) has its own architectural and cultural character...when I think of LA I think of traditional SoCal architecture that's influenced by the Spanish colonial era, as well as 1920s/30s art deco architecture and some more general American architecture mixed in. You should stick to this architecture that reflects your city's character and identity instead of building hausmannian structures in the middle of Orange County. (Hausmannian style refers to the famous mid-to-late 19th century buildings that Paris is perhaps best known for).

The Los Angeles area can definitely learn from Paris on how to build pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods where you don't have to drive 5 miles just to buy a carton of eggs or a loaf of bread...and LA can also learn from Paris on creating a city with a vibrant street life (that said, parts of the greater Paris metro area do need some work). But as for literally copying Paris, I say no. Los Angeles isn't Paris, nor is it Rio de Janeiro, nor is it Tokyo, nor Delhi, nor Berlin, nor Moscow, nor Madrid, nor Shanghai, nor Buenos Aires, nor Cairo, nor Amsterdam, nor Omaha. Los Angeles is Los Angeles. Be a better you instead of trying to be somebody else. If you create a little Paris in the middle of OC -complete with exact replicas of Hausmannian buildings- it will look awfully fake, kitschy, and disney-ish...and this is something Parisians hate. And urban enthusiasts in general (like most skyscrapercity posters) hate cities that don't have an identity of their own (like Dubai!)

I really like the renovation of downtown Santa Ana, and if you're looking for inspiration, there's an excellent example right in your own back yard in Orange County. No need to hop on a 12-hour flight. And within LA proper, the gentrification and renovation of the Hollywood & Vine area is also a place to look at for inspiration. Aside from that district's horrid tourist traps, they've done a great job restoring its pre-WWII buildings -of which there are many- and revitalizing the area.

Although, like I said, there are some things Paris can teach you as far as being a walkable, transit-friendly city that's comfortable with its own identity and has a vibrant street life.

Oh...and take a trip to Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro, and Chicago while you're at it to get some ideas on how the LA area can build a proper waterfront.


We might be visiting by early 2011 but before that, I would like to get your consensus on which affluent community best represents the Paris architecture during the 18th-19th centuries.

Visit Paris first.

And within the city proper, you'll find relatively homogenous architecture, whether it's the affluent 16th arrondissement or the gritty Gare du Nord area. Don't single out "affluent communities". I absolutely love the middle-class 14th arrondissement, as well as the "edgy" up-and-coming areas north of the river. Paris is a fantastic city made up of so many different parts, and you're not doing the city any justice if you're only hoping to look at posh areas. Paris isn't about the way it's imagined by Americans...it's about the real city and the real people that inhabit it...from the flea markets to the farmers' markets, the local bakeries, the old men playing boules in the parks, the old lady selling ice cream at the entrance to the Jardin de Luxembourg, and city's graffiti/street-art which adds a certain sophisticated edginess to this living, breathing, ancient vibrant city.


Or what is the most beautiful 18th century neighborhood in Paris? I can't think of any other cities in France at this point - so a neighborhood outside Paris would also be welcomed.

Looks like you've got some great responses on 18th and even 17th century buildings in Paris.

As far as 19th century is concerned: personally, I have a weakness for the original Hausmannian buildings (1850s-1870s) in the 6th arrondissement (mostly south of Blvd Saint-Germain) and the 5th as well (except for Latin Quarter which is older, as well as the area along the river which is also older, as you can see in the map that erdnisloed provided).