Morning Panoramas: quite a vantage point over the history of Paris.

Morning Panoramas is a place steeped in history whose roots reach back to the early 18th century. This venue, with its unique heritage, is intimately bound up with the history of Paris, and in particular with the urban block nestled between the boulevard Montmartre to the north, the rue Saint-Marc to the south, the rue Montmartre to the east and the rue Vivienne to the west. The architectural changes the building has undergone over the centuries bear witness to the profound transformations of an entire quarter.

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1706 

A private mansion built facing the “grand cours”

The story of the place begins with Thomas de Rivié (1653-1732), the son of a blacksmith from the Aveyron, who made his fortune supplying horses to the army. 

In 1706, Rivié entrusted the architect Pierre Cailleteau with the construction of a private mansion. The residence was sumptuous. Facing the courtyard, the ashlar-stone dwelling was centred on a narrow, single-bay projecting section. It was flanked by return wings onto the courtyard, each with its own roof. The main entrance was at 10 rue Saint Marc. The garden stretched all the way to the Grand Cours -  today’s Grands Boulevards - an essential promenade for Parisians.

Barely completed, the mansion was sold on in 1710, Rivié being obliged to reside at Versailles for his work. The new owner was Nicolas Desmarets (1648-1721), Controller-General of Finances under Louis XIV, Marquis de Maillebois and nephew of the great Colbert.

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1723 

A great seat of learning under the Montmorency-Luxembourg family

Following Desmarets’ death, the mansion was sold to Charles Frédéric de Montmorency-Luxembourg in 1723, Duke and Marshal of France. The family would own the property from 1723 to 1789. 

The Duke had the mansion enlarged. The architect Antoine-Matthieu Le Carpentier (1709-1773) built a wing onto the garden and a Chinese kiosk. The mansion became a place of learning and scholarship, where philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau – placed under the protection of the Montmorency-Luxembourg family – would meet, along with Voltaire, who mentions the mansion in his writings. (Read also: Morning Trévise, a hidden treasure in the heart of the 9th arrondissement)

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1789 

A private library during the Revolution

During the French Revolution, the premises were seized as émigré property, then sold as national property. It then served as a depository for confiscated books. Nearly 100 000 books would be stored there. Among them were works confiscated from religious congregations and émigré aristocrats.

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1799 

The cutting-through of the passage des Panoramas

In 1798, the mansion was sold to William Thayer, an American shipowner. The following year, the new owner and his wife Henriette – née Beck – had the passage des Panoramas built through the mansion’s gardens to link the rue Saint-Marc to the boulevard Montmartre. The mansion’s former monumental gateway on the rue Saint-Marc became the southern entrance, open to the public. 

On either side of the passage, in the garden, the couple had two rotundas built, 14 metres in diameter and 7 metres high. Each housed the new installation by the artist Robert Barker: a 360° painting to be admired from a central platform. These attractions would give the passage des Panoramas its name.

1807 

The Variétés theatre takes root in the gardens

The Théâtre des Variétés owes its creation to Mademoiselle Montansier. Already the owner of a theatre in Versailles, she settled in Paris during the Revolution to take possession of a theatre beneath the arcades of the Palais-Royal, which she renamed the Variétés. 

On 1 January 1807, a decree ordered the eviction of her troupe, whose success was overshadowing the neighbouring Comédie-Française. That same year, Montansier commissioned the architect Jacques Cellerier to build the Théâtre des Variétés on what remained of the gardens of the former Montmorency-Luxembourg mansion. 

On 24 June, all of Paris attended the première of the Panorama de Momus, a vaudeville by Marc-Antoine Désaugiers that would prove a resounding success.

1810 

The Duke of Chartres’ private club

From 1810 to 1842, the son of King Louis-Philippe I – the Duke of Chartres – set up his private club in the mansion’s salons. Figures such as Alexandre Dumas and George Sand were among the guests. On the Duke of Chartres’ death, the first floor of the mansion became the Café de l’Europe.

1834 

A stroke of Grisart, across the whole quarter

In 1829, Achille Pène, owner of part of the land, had the rue Vivienne extended as far as the grands boulevards, cutting away part of the mansion. The panorama rotundas were demolished in 1831 and a vast property development was carried out by the architect Jean-Louis Victor Grisart. 

In 1834, he designed the Feydeau, Montmartre, Saint-Marc and Variétés galleries, linked to the passage des Panoramas. The Montmorency-Luxembourg mansion was cut back still further, but Grisart spared part of the west wing. At no.36 rue Vivienne, a mezzanine was created and the façade was entirely refaced, though the tall windows corresponding to the first floor of the original mansion are still clearly recognisable. Certain adjacent buildings were erected on the rue Vivienne. (Read also: A new workspace in the Vivienne quarter)

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1868

The Académie Julian opens its doors to artists  

In 1866, the painter Rodolphe Julian acquired the mansion to use as his studio. The following year, he set up the first private school of painting and sculpture there. The academy was pioneering. Open to women, its teachers were among the most celebrated artists of the day.

For a century, the Académie Julian (which would become the École supérieure d’arts graphiques Penninghen in 1968) trained a great many artists, among them Derain, Matisse, Léger, Arp, Duchamp, Bazaine, Dubuffet, Lartigue, Majorelle and Mucha.

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In 1906, the Cercle Central des Lettres et des Arts held its meetings there.

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1929

Some remnants of the mansion and the entrance porch on the rue Saint Marc were demolished. The architect Henri Sauvage built a large office and residential block there. Like the Perret brothers, Sauvage made the most of the possibilities offered by concrete, not least for the bow windows that are characteristic of the façade. 

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2015

After serving as premises for the Publicis Groupe company since the late 1980s, the site was taken over in 2015 by a collector. Extensive embellishment work was then carried out, notably in gold leaf, with prominent gilded fillets on the walls and doors, in the 18th-century style (the earlier decoration having been done in bronzine).

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2024

The Morning team – experts in fitting out spaces – moved into the private mansion. Number 36 rue Vivienne is now home to Morning Panoramas, a space dedicated to corporate events. This exceptional setting boasts no fewer than 6 private salons across 430m², with capacity for 10 to 250 guests. (Discover also: Corporate events: discover all of Morning’s solutions!)