Cité des Fleurs

The Cité des Fleurs in Paris's 17th arrondissement is a tree-lined private street 320 meters long, now regarded as a quiet residential enclave in the middle of the bustling city. Founded in the 1840s to provide housing for the workers at Ernest Goüin's nearby factory, the area was divided into equally sized plots in 1850. The original building rules, which dictated among other things the design of the façades and required at least three trees in each front garden, still shape the uniform look of the villas today. Because gates at both ends close the street off to public traffic, it remains a protected place open only to service vehicles. The Cité des Fleurs is also known historically as the birthplace of the actresses Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac, and as the former studio site of artists such as Ellsworth Kelly and Simon Hantaï. Today it offers some of the highest quality of living in Paris, and the owners are organized in their own association.