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| Bourse de Commerce |
Location: Rue de Viarmes [sign disappeared after June 2014]
English translation
"Following the demolition of the Hôtel de Soissons, the town council erected a building on its site to serve as a warehouse and sales outlet for wheat and flour. Constructed by Le Camus de Mézières between 1763 and 1766, this circular building was topped in 1782-1783 by a wooden dome covering the courtyard, designed by Legrand and Molinos, assembled by the carpenter Roubo, and pierced by 25 windows and a bay at the top. The dome burned down on October 16, 1802, and was replaced in 1811 by an iron dome. After another fire in 1854, the wheat market was replaced by the present-day Bourse de Commerce, built by Blondel between 1887 and 1899." (Translated by DeepL and ChatGPT)
Background notes
- Please refer to plaque 14 for details about the Colonne Astrologique (attached to the Bourse de Commerce) and the history of Hôtel de Soissons.
- The building constructed after the demolition of the Hôtel de Soissons, was originally called the Halle aux Blés, or the Wheat or Grain Exchange (a marketplace for grain traders). It was designed with a circular layout and a central courtyard.
- Nicolas Le Camus de Mézières (1721-1793) was a French architect and theorist who designed the Halle aux Blés. He developed a theory of architecture in which a building's character should express its purpose or the client's social status, drawing parallels between architecture and theatre.
- With the economic and urban development of Paris, from 1885, the Exchange’s trading activities expanded to include various commodities. It housed futures markets for wheat, rye, oats, flour, oil, sugar, alcohol, and rubber. Following World War II, it expanded to include international trading in white sugar, cocoa, coffee, potato, soybean meal, and rapeseed.
- The architect Henri Blondel carried out a major renovation of the building primarily between 1887 and 1889 (note: it was not totally destroyed by the fire in 1854), incorporating elements from the original Halle aux Blés while modifying it to serve its broadened purpose as a commodities exchange.
- Henri Blondel (1821-1897) was a prolific French architect who transformed the Halle au Blés into the Bourse de Commerce. He designed the exterior façades, roofing, inner layout, and decors for the building's conversion into the Commodities Exchange.
- In the 20th century, after the computerisation of futures markets, all physical market activity at the Bourse de Commerce building ended in 1998 and was replaced with electronic trading. After this date, the Bourse de Commerce continued to house the Paris Chamber of Commerce, which had acquired the building earlier (in 1949) for the token sum of one franc.
- From 2017, the building was again extensively renovated and reopened in 2021 to house the Pinault Collection, a contemporary art museum. This transition reflects a significant shift from its original commercial purposes to a cultural and artistic venue, showcasing modern art while preserving its historical architecture.
- A key feature of the Bourse de Commerce, commissioned in 1889 as part of Blondel's renovations, is a 360-degree panorama that celebrates the exchange of goods between all continents. The panorama depicts world trade with symbols of technical progress and representations of trade between the five main regions of the world. The building’s mural remains a striking feature, visible below the dome's intricately crafted glass and metal cupola.