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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



Al'KIL, 



provenient, a cnnfused, crovrded-up look, and shows not a few dis- 

 fin-rei'able inequalities of taste. The new facades, on tlie contrary, 

 exliibit not only greater simplicity, but greater richness also. 

 There is iniinitely more of homogeneousness of character, the 

 cliaracter itself of the style adopted being purged from its little- 

 nesses of manner and other defects. The arcliitects — or perhaps 

 we should say M. Godde,* for the other appears to have been only 

 his mljoint in the execution of the works — may be said to have 

 given us the ideal of Renaissance — that is, French Renaissance, 

 modified so as to be applicable at the present day. 



Previously to its assuming its present shai)e and greatly ex- 

 tended dimensions, the Hotel de Ville had only a single inner 

 court — a trapezium in plan, whose eastern side, or that facing tlie 

 entrance, is consideralily wider than the latter. Besides this, which 

 is (leiu)niinated the "Cour d'Honneur," there are nowtwo other more 

 spacious ones, that on the south side being the " Cour du Prefet," 

 mid on the north the "Cour dcs Bureaux." Yet, in the letter-press 

 a<:cuunt — description it can hardly be called — of the building, in Al- 

 om's "France," no notice is taken of this very material enlargement 

 of tlie plan, but we are left to understand that there is only a single 

 court, — "a spacious (?) quadrangle, entered through the lofty 

 arches in the principal front ;" wliereas those entrances lead into the 

 two separate new courts. The letter-press writer, the Rev. G. N. 

 M'right, M.A. — don't let us forget the M.A., though it does not 

 mean Master of Architecture, — is one of those ready writers who 

 pay more attention to quantity than quality ; for he gives the 

 credit of the present structure to JMolinos, an architect who was 

 only employed on some additional constructions to the building in 

 the time of Napoleon, which have since been entirely swept away. 

 He also assures us that all the additions have been made "in the 

 most exact and complete harmony" with the original fa. ade, which, 

 as far as it means anything at all, means that they are little more 

 than a mere copy of it. 



Altliough not very spacious, the inner courts are not the least 

 beautiful pai'ts of tlie structure; it is, however, easier to judge of 

 their design than their effect, for they are shown only sectionally, 

 whereas subjects of that kind require to he represented perspec- 

 tively also. For an external facade — more especially if it consist 

 of little more than a single general plane of frontage, without ad- 

 vancing or receding parts — a geometrical elevation may he suffi- 

 cient ; but where several facades or sides — be they those of a room 

 or of a cortile — are seen in combination with each other, the aid of 

 perspective becomes requisite in order to convey an idea of the 

 actual appearance. There ought, in fact, to have been a perspec- 

 tive view also of at least one of the facades, and it should have 

 been of that facing the Rue Lobau, it being the finest of them all, 

 and moreover distinguished from the others by a circumstance 

 that is likely to escape notice in a geometrical drawing, more es- 

 pecially one merely in outline, where there are no shadows to ex- 

 jiress the various degrees of relief : — the distinction we allude to 

 IS that in that front, instead of being engaged ones, the columns 

 of both orders are completely detached from the wall behind, at 

 least along the whole of the central portion of it (extending to 

 fifteen arcaded intercolumns in its length, and having a large and 

 highly-enriched lucarne over each alternate intercolumn). 



From the exterior alone, a very imperfect idea is to be obtained 

 of the magnificence of this noble pile of building, which may be 

 one reason for its not having obtained the notice, or anything like 

 the notice, which it may justly claim. Truly palatial in outward 

 appearance, it is equally so within, containing as it does, besides 

 a very great number of various offices and other mere business 

 rooms, no inconsiderable number of state apartments for municipal 

 r, unions and entertainments, which are not only spacious and 

 handsome, but even truly splendid ami sumptuous, and withal 

 Jtfford an unusual variety of scenic effects in architecture. Yet, 

 of all of them, only one, and that by no means the most remarkable of 

 them as a room, is pointed out by the JNI.A. description-writer in 

 Alltmi's " France" — namely,the "Salle duTrone,"wliicli is in theori- 

 ginal portion of the building towards the Placf.f Of the new apart- 

 ments, nothing whatever is said in that puldicatiun ; not even tlie 

 " Galerie des Fetes" itself is so much as mentioned, although that, 

 and the approaches to it, constitute a group of varied and well-com- 



* From what is said orhiin in Nngler'a " KuiistlLT-I.exicon," welimt tbat ttiisort'tiittct 

 (ivlio was born in 17H1) vvus enipluytd, ainon^ ottier wurks. on tlie rcstomliona (i( the Ca- 

 tlloUral of Auieins ; and that while lit was liispecteur en chef ile la 2niv section des Tra- 

 vaux l*uhlic. he made plans, elevaiimis, j-ikI sections of vatioua clitirches at Palis, 

 ttniountiny in all to about three tlunUied diuwin^s ; yet whether tliey were ever published 

 is not slated. 



t It is mentioned ctiicfiy for the purpose of itiformlriB us that It was from the central 

 window, l.ouis XVI, addreasfd tile people with the cap of Liberty on ills head; and 

 J.OHis Philippe altcrwards adilressed tliciii. wlien Lafayelte told them, that in him they 

 lii>hel'1 " the best of nil Kepublico !" — words whicU the present llevoiulion aud the ll*\if 

 Be|iubltc wiU probably verily most disastrously. 



bined architectural beauties, that taken altogether has not it.-* 

 equal in any royal palace of Europe.* 



To give — wliiit is no easy matter — something like an adequate 

 idea of this part of the interior : — from the lower vestibule is 

 seen extending to the right and left (or north and south) a mag- 

 nificent staircase, consisting of two wide successive flights of steps, 

 carried in a straightforward direction, between arches supportetl 

 on marble columns in the upper part of it, where there are gal- 

 leries or open corridors along its sides. On ascending to the upper 

 landing, a highly enriched dome, though one of moderate dimen- 

 sions, presents itself; and through this, and three ornamental com- 

 partments over the stairs,t tlie staircase is lighted. On looking 

 back from that upper landing, a most striking architectural coup 

 d'asil presents itself, — an exceedingly rich perspective vista 

 through an open sahiou (the " Salle des Cariatides," over the vesti- 

 bule below), into the other staircase.:]: It is, therefore, not with- 

 out just reason that the staircase is spoken of in the text as a 

 chef-d' ceuvre of its kind. Even admitting that either of the stair- 

 cases, in some respects, and among others in spaciousness as to 

 width, yields the palm to the one in the Bibliothek at Munich, 

 the ememb/e produced by the two greatly surpasses it ; for as her.; 

 managed, it is far more striking than it would have been, had the 

 entire space been thrown open from end to end. In one respect, 

 these staircases have a decided advantage over that at Municli, 

 they being lighted from above, in the manner described, — conse- 

 quently more picturesquely. Besides which, the Munich one leads 

 architectunillv speaking, to nothing, there being merely a number 

 of plain shelved book-rooms, after all the extraordinary parade of 

 approach to them. 



Such highly-disappointing falling-off, both with regard to ptir- 

 pose and effect, is most assuredly not experienced in the Hotel de 

 Ville, when on passing from either staircase through a noble 

 ante-room, the "Galerie," with its thirty-two fluted Corinthian 

 columns, profusely enriched pendentives and plafond, and other ela- 

 boratedecorations, expands itself inallits magnificence. Thisapart- 

 ment, which comes in the centre of the Rue Lobau front, is 160 

 feet by 42, and 40 feet high, with thirteen intercolumns on eacli 

 side, and tliree at each end. The cove is divided into arcs-dou- 

 bleaux anil lunettes ; of which last, the thirteen on the side facing 

 the windows are open, so as to foi-m a gallery or series of tribunes 

 for spectators, who, through open arches, have a view down into 

 the "Galerie" from the "flat" or roof above the staircases, which 

 space glazed all over, and having pillars along its sides, is thus ingeni- 

 ously turned to account, and made to produce much novel effect. 

 A similar view is there obtained into the " Salle des Cariatides," 

 through similar openings and the gallery carried around the upper 

 part of that room, to which they afford access. The room just men- 

 tioned — which derives its name from eighteen caryatides resting 

 on its cove, so as to foi-m the gallery in its upper part, and support 

 the plafond—comes in between the " Galerie des Fetes" and the 

 " Salle du Conseil Municipal," as well as between the two staircases ; 

 so that from this point — a most happy '■'■episode" in the plan — 

 a striking architectural pictui-e presents itself in every direction, 

 whether we look towards the " Salle du Conseil" with the " Cour 

 d'Honneur" beyond it, or towards the " Galerie," or towards either 

 of the staircases. In fact, this part of the plan is eminently re- 

 plete with piquant complexity — or what seems to be complexity — 

 and variety of effect ; aiul it is all the more striking, because it 

 unexpectedly opens a vista branching out from one side of the 

 "Galerie," and which, therefore, breaks up that excessive same- 

 ness of arrangement which, so dull and unartistic in itself, is 

 so prevalent — we might say so uniformly a defect in continental 

 buildings. 



There is, besides, a more than usual degree of variety and play 

 in other parts of the plan ; for instance, in the several saloons in 

 connection with the "Galerie" at either end of it. One of these 

 bears the name of the " Salon Louis Philippe" — an appellation, 

 that will now, doubtless, be refurined ; another that of the "Salon 

 Napoleon." Then there is the " Salle des Banquets," respecting 

 which, however, no information is afforded, nor does it show itself 



* After all, such omission on the part of the letter-press was perhaps judicious, be- 

 cause to have spoken of those parts of ilie inleiior as they deserved to lie, would have 

 been accusing the artist of tiiipiible ouiihsii,n on his part, in not describing any uf them 

 with his jiencil, more es|iecijiily as his lorle lies in interior subjects. 



t From tile perspective view of the staircase, it appears tliat these con-.pnrtri.ents In 

 the vaulting i-f the ceiling are not exactly what we siiould call skylights, but ornamental 

 panels lilled in with bgur^^d ^:lass, eillier coloured or phdn, in the same plane as ihe other 

 panels. 'Phis ought to have been explained in the letter-press, as likewise ought inatiy 

 other particulars with respect to decoration -colour included — which are now left to be 

 conjectured. 



t Thus, in regard to mere general disposition of plan, these staircases are somewhat 

 simii.'rr to those in our National (iailery, but other resemblance there is none. In all 

 other respects the diflereuce is iimaiingly great, nor need we say ou which side the mai keU 

 superiority lies. 



