The Topographical Evolution of the City of Paris 
STRUCTURAL DETAILS OF THE BOULEVARD RICH A R D-LENOI R From Alp hand 
structed. Haussmann continued it southward 
to the Place du Chatelet, which he rearranged. 
It was a matter of deep regret to him that, 
through the carelessness of his predecessors, 
he was unable to bring the axis of the Boule¬ 
vard de Sebastopol into line with the cupola 
of the Sorbonne. The central boulevard 
was continued on the island by the Boule¬ 
vard du Palais and on the south side by the 
Boulevard Saint - Michel, the relation of 
which to the Palais des Thermes, Pantheon, 
Luxembourg gardens and Observatoire was 
carefully considered. 
1'he reconstruction of the He de la Cite 
may be considered at this point, although 
the scheme is not even yet perfectly carried 
out. At the commencement of Haussmann’s 
term of office in 1853 the Cite contained 
the worst slums in Paris. He conceived a 
scheme for devoting the entire area to greater 
civic monuments — the Hotel-Dieu, Palais 
de Justice, and similar buildings. This plan 
has been well followed and has fixed the civic 
center of Paris for all time, a result quite 
worth the sacrifice of a few charming old 
churches and houses. The most important 
of the buildings on the island is the Palais 
de Justice. The western facade, designed 
by Joseph Louis Due, may become extreme¬ 
ly important if the Place Dauphine should 
ever disappear. 
The Boulevard Saint-Germain, on the rive 
gauche , was one of the earliest improvements 
conceived, and one of the last completed. 
It was designed to connect various quarters 
on the south side in the same way as the in¬ 
ner ring of boulevards connects those on the 
north side. It was charmingly arranged to 
bring into vista two of the most valuable 
monuments in Paris—the Hotel Cluny and 
the Abbey Church of Saint-Germain-des- 
Pres. The Boulevard Saint-Germain was 
continued to the Place de la Bastille by the 
Pont-Sully and Boulevard Henry IV. 
In the series of fountains erected by Na¬ 
poleon in 1810 was one at the junction of 
the Boulevard Saint-Martin and the Bou¬ 
levard du Temple. This, on account of 
its size and importance, was called the 
Chateau-d’Eau, and the space about it the 
Place du Chateau-d’Eau. The development 
of the Place du Chateau-d’Eau into the 
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