L'Élysée Montmartre

The red marquee of the Élysée Montmartre extends over the sidewalk, marking a venue that has operated since eighteen seventy-two. It began as a ballroom for the working class of Montmartre, but within a few years, it became the birthplace of the can-can. In nineteen hundred, a massive fire gutted the interior, yet the owners rebuilt it within months. It remains a venue for live music, though the original dance hall floor has long since given way to standing crowds.