The Palais Brongniart is a building in Paris (France) that was built at the direction of Napoleon in the early 19th century to house the Paris stock exchange (Bourse de Paris).
It is located at the Place de la Bourse, in the 2nd arrondissement in central Paris. It was named after its initial architect, Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, who died in 1813 prior to its completion. The Palais Brongniart is nowadays used as an events centre, since the trading floor relocated in 1987, followed in 2004 by the last financial institution that was still housed there.
Historically, stock trading took place at several spots in Paris, including rue Quincampoix, rue Vivienne (near the Palais Royal), and the back of the Opéra Garnier (the Paris opera house).
Architecture
In the early 19th century, the Paris Bourse’s activities found a stable location at the Palais Brongniart, or Palais de la Bourse, built to the designs of architect Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart from 1808 to 1813 and completed by Éloi Labarre from 1813 to 1826.
Brongniart had spontaneously submitted his project, which was a rectangular neoclassical Roman temple with a giant Corinthian colonnade enclosing a vaulted and arcaded central chamber. His designs were greatly admired by Napoleon and won Brongniart a major public commission at the end of his career.
The Commodities Exchange was housed in the same building until 1889, when it moved to the present Bourse de commerce.
Address: 16 Pl. de la Bourse, 75002 Paris, France
Architects: Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, Étienne-Éloi Labarre
Architectural style: Neoclassical architecture
Opened: 1825
Construction started: 1808
Height: 28 m
See more:
