Once a Limit of 122 Feet

Prior to my trip to France I read The Paris Architect which was a novel more about WWII and the Nazis in Paris and how an architect handled that time and less about architecture in itself.  It was a good read, if not a great read.  But it helped me realize how important architecture was to the Parisians.

According to one article that I read, French architecture is a gradual movement touching on all eras:  Roman, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Rocco, Neo-Classical, Empire, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Modern, Post-Modern, and Contemporary Architecture.  From my quick view of Paris and the rest of the country, this was certainly true. 

Paris began as a Roman city called Lutetia.  But this architecture, while found in other places in France, was pretty much destroyed in Paris as the Roman empire fell.  The medieval period was chaos with no plan for design in the city.  Then came the revival of Paris in the Renaissance period with the introduction of Italian architecture.  Much was done under Henry IV who some say was the earliest town planner.  It was not until the 1600s that Paris began to devise its own classical style with a hint of romanticism.  If I had time and more money I would spend months in Paris just studying the architecture.

One of my readers asked about high rise structures in the capital.  The high rise shown in one of my prior photos is the Tour Montparnasse,  built over 40 years ago, and most agree that it is the most hated building in Paris.  It is ugly, bold, and out of place.  A 2008 international poll named it the world's second ugliest building.  "planned developments are pushing up to levels where they will be visible across large sections of the city. The Norman Foster and Partners-designed Hermitage Plaza, expected to be completed in 2019, will consist of twin towers taller than London’s Shard, currently Europe’s tallest building, but just shorter than the Eiffel Tower. A mixed development combining offices and shops with apartments, its Russian developer says it will resolve what he sees as Paris's lack of luxury property compared to New York and Miami."  Times are changing and Paris is beginning to allow high rises into the city, especially in places where the structures are becoming ugly in age.  It is a slippery slope in my opinion, but money drives everything.

The foreground of this historic area in the photo above does leave something to be desired in terms of architecture.

" Paris currently has office vacancy rates of over 7 percent, as companies reject high rent levels in the city core to relocate farther out in the Paris region. What Paris needs more of may not be taller, shinier spaces to rent out but customers for vacant spaces that already exist, plus improved transport links to get to them (La Défense’s metro and train links aren’t the best)."

And, below, where our boat was docked, right next to a new shopping center and yet just a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower...how convenient.