Hôtel de Chimay

The Hôtel de Chimay features a stark, symmetrical limestone facade punctuated by rows of tall, shuttered windows along the Quai Malaquais. Originally built in the sixteen thirties for a wealthy parliamentarian, the mansion became a center for social life when the Princesse de Chimay moved in during the early nineteenth century. She hosted salons that drew the leading intellectuals and politicians of the era. Today, the building serves as a quiet wing of the École des Beaux-Arts, housing classrooms for aspiring architects and artists.