Hôtel Coulanges

The Hôtel Coulanges is a historic town house in Paris's 4th arrondissement, located on the Place des Vosges and the Rue de Birague. It was built in 1607 for Philippe I de Coulanges and his wife Marie de Bèze. The property's significance in French literary history is closely tied to the writer Madame de Sévigné, who was born here in 1626. She spent the first eleven years of her life in this house before the family sold it in 1637. The building later served as a residence for various well-known figures, including the Post-Impressionist Georges Dufrénoy, who lived there from 1871 to 1914, as well as the famous dancer Isadora Duncan. Around 1910, Duncan used the house together with her partner Paris Singer, and the two had the reception hall converted into a dance hall with a monumental staircase in order to showcase her innovative choreography there.

The building's architecture stands out for its French ceilings with painted beams and large stone fireplaces. Because of its historical and architectural value, various parts of the house are protected as listed monuments, including the facades and roofs, the stairways, the vaulted gallery, and the ceiling painting on the second floor. In the 20th century, the building went through a period of decay and lengthy renovation work, which was initiated by its owner Béatrice Cottin but could not be fully completed due to financial and personal circumstances. As a result, the house stood empty at times and was eventually occupied by a group of students who wanted to draw attention to the housing shortage in the capital.

After the squatters were evicted and the owner died in 2015, the entrepreneur Xavier Niel acquired the property. He pledged to keep the building in his family's possession and to create a public space called the "Espace Béatrice Cottin," intended to serve as a museum or gallery. This gives the Hôtel Coulanges a new outlook, one that combines its historical role as the home of prominent artists and writers with a cultural offering for the public.