Place Vendôme (before: Place des Conquêtes, Place Louis-le-Grand from 1699 then Place des Piques from 1792) is a square in Paris (France), located in the 1st arrondissement.
Along with Place des Victoires, Place de la Concorde, Place des Vosges and Place Dauphine, it is one of the city’s five royal squares.
Its architecture is due to Jules Hardouin-Mansart who designed, in 1699, a strict urban plan to which the owners of the buildings must comply. A large part of the facades are classified as a historic monument. In its center is the Vendôme column built in 1810, demolished by the Communards, then rebuilt.
Typical of classic French town planning, it is one of the most famous squares in Paris and considered one of the most luxurious in the world.
Before becoming a central place in the contemporary era for jewelry, Place Vendôme was, with Rue de la Paix, the epicenter of Parisian elegance for half a century, boasting a number of couturiers and milliners.
The Hôtel de Bourvallais, located at no. 13, is the headquarters of the Ministry of Justice, sometimes referred to metonymically as “Place Vendôme”.
The Place Vendôme has been renowned for its fashionable and deluxe hotels such as the Ritz. Many famous dress designers have had their salons in the square.
The only two remaining are the shirtmaker Charvet, at number 28, whose store has been on the Place Vendôme since 1877, and the couturier Chéruit, at number 21, reestablished in 2008.
Since 1718, the Ministry of Justice, also known as the “Chancellerie”, is located at the Hotel de Bourvallais located at numbers 11 and 13. Right on the other side of the Place Vendôme, number 14 houses the Paris office of JP Morgan, the investment bank, and number 20 the office of Ardian (formerly AXA Private Equity).
The Place Vendôme is located near the Paris Métro stations: Opéra, Pyramides, Madeleine and Tuileries.
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