Immeuble

English translation

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History

The building preserves on the inside a Second Empire staircase, as remarkable for the richness of its materials (marble, onyx, mosaic with gold background) as for its dimensions. It is preceded by a narrow vaulted vestibule whose niches surmounted by scallop shells contain large marble vases. The stairwell consists of a grand staircase with straight flights and two superimposed galleries. The three arcades of the ground floor rest on pillars adorned with mosaic with gold background. The central arcade is decorated with a male mask at the keystone. The arcades of the first storey are supported on paired columns in red marble with gilt Corinthian capitals. At the centre of this gallery, a small loggia in semi-circle is adorned with a green marble balustrade. In the spandrels of the arcades are lodged mosaic medallions. The central arcade is here decorated with a female mask. This colonnade is taken up again, at the back, on the wall and the paired columns frame the entrance door of an apartment. On either side of these columns, the wall is covered with crimson velvet embroidered. The staircase has straight flights and uses rich materials: handrail in onyx, stringer in red marble, baluster in green marble. This ensemble, manifestly inspired by the Paris Opera, is an excellent example of Napoleon III architecture.