Jean-Antoine Gabriel Davioud was named the inspector general for architectural works and chief architect of parks and public spaces under Napoleon III and Baron Haussmann. Haussmann was of course cutting through and transforming Paris into a city with wider boulevards, iconic perspectives and the iron lined buildings we love so much. 

Prior to 1850 if one wanted to sit in the parks or streets you had to pay for the luxury to sit on a cement bench. In 1850 Haussmann asked Davioud to create a bench that could blend into the parks and squares, with one stipulation, they all must be the vert wagon color. The name comes from the color of the wagon that took Louis XVI to the guillotine, a rather grim reminder for a color that has become so beloved. The color can be found on everything from the bouquinistes to the benches. 

As for those benches, you have taken a moment to catch your breath or spent a few hours reading in the sun on these simple but oh so lovely pieces of “street furniture”. Davioud designed two different benches, le banc droit, the straight bench and the gondola. Le banc driot will be found on sidewalks and in parks and can be single or double sided made of straight boards through the cast iron base complete with the crest of the city of Paris. The first appeared on the Grand Boulevards in line with the trees that were just as important in the Haussmann plan and then quickly spread throughout the city.

Recently the Drouot auction house held a large auction that was selling off many of the iconic pieces of Paris including some gorgeous iron gates from the Hotel Lazun which is heartbreaking to see for sale. Within the auction there was one of the original Davioud’s straight double sided benches and the people of Paris were not too happy about it. Beginning an online campaign and raising money they were planning on purchasing it back and placing it back on the streets of Paris. 

Earlier this year the mayor’s office announced that they would be changing the benches and the proposed benches are modern and down right ugly. In a turn of events the auction house decided to remove it from the sale and gave it to the group free of charge. Their plan is to take it to the Hotel de Ville and demonstrate to the mayor that these older and beautiful pieces still deserve a spot in the city. 

The gondola style bench is made of tiny slats that have a sweeping flow to them and are mostly located in the parks including the Jardin du Luxembourg and Parc Monceau. Such a part of the city they begin to blend into their surroundings which is exactly what they had planned.

Davioud also designed the first newspaper kiosks that resembled more of a Morris Column complete with a dome on top. Over time they disappeared and the more box like kiosk appeared but the dome was added to harken back to the original.

The list of other projects Davioud was involved in is endless, many of which I will share in future issues. One of these designs will be shared this Sunday in our LIVE walk from Paris, you won’t want to miss it. 

This past Sunday we returned to the Jardin du Luxembourg on a sunny beautiful day and even kept the walk going down through Odéon to see the new monument to Charles Aznavour just across from L’Avant Comptoir de la Terre. 

This Sunday, May 30 we are going to explore the lovely Parc Monceau. Created for Philippe d’Orleans, the Duke of Chartres and cousin of Louis XVI who purchased the vast land and created a garden to rival Versailles. Philippe spent a lot of time in London and was close to the Prince of Wales, George IV and was inspired to have the more carefree look of an English garden then the planned out geometric French garden of Versailles. 

The garden is dotted with follies, monuments and the columns once built for Henri II and enjoyed by families, runners and flaneurs. 

Join us Sunday, May 30, 8am Pacific, 11am Eastern and 5pm Paris

Can’t join us live, grab a ticket and we will send you the video after. Not on facebook, you can grab your seat on my website and a zoom link will be sent to you. 

Grab your tickets through Facebook or at ClaudineHemingway.com

Are you part of the monthly La Vie Creative -Bleu Blonde Rouge Book Club yet? For May we have been reading Wine & War, the French, the Nazis & the Battle for France’s Greatest Treasure by Don & Pete Kladstrup. The book isn’t just about wine, it’s just as much about the geography and history of some of the finest houses and the greatest heroes during World War II. 

Grab the book and join us live, June 6 for a chat about the book and Paris. Can’t wait to reveal the book for June.

If you are planning a trip for the near future and need some help or want to customize your trip and add some special details let me know. I do offer custom trip planning and can give you many other secret tips and tricks. 

For those going to Paris in the fall and want to take a tour of Paris with me, check my website or email me. Including Hemingway the Paris years with moi, food and wine tour of Saint Germain, architecture of the Louvre and so many more let me know. Spaces are already filling up and I can’t wait to see you in Paris.