So in my ongoing efforts to bring you to Versailles more than the palace; let me update for you and me some streets of Versailles !!! The city is a treasure vault of historical, architectural wonders and the best way is to walk it; the city is not big, easily walkable. So, here are some of the streets I like the most,and see my other posts on them, Hope you enjoy it as I,
I will start with the Rue Colbert. Named after Jean-Baptiste Colbert who was one of the principal ministers of king Louis XIV . He developed the French colonial factories and companies. At N 1: Hotel de Grammont until 1809. N 5, Hotel de Villacerf, property at the end of the 19C of Prince Roland Bonaparte. N 7 former Hotel of Choiseul, then of Villeroy, which housed in 1870-71 the Prussian minister of War and his services. N 13: Current EDF, (electricity company in France) location of the former hotel of Aumont under the old regime and home of Charles-Frédéric Nepveu, architect of the château under Louis-Philippe, at the end of his life. One of the streets very close to the Castle across from the Royal Chapel.
The Rue Georges Clemenceau is the old rue Saint-Pierre et du Vermandois in 1684 until the kennel. There was a fountain there. The name of the French politician , nicknamed “The Tiger” and the “Father of the Victory”, who was president of the Council from 1906 to 1909 and from 1917 to 1920. The street extends through the place André-Mignot, former Place de la Vénérie-Royale , then the Tribunaux. At No. 5 and No. 7: Current Monoprix convenient dept store (many times shop here!) . At the entrance to the wonderful passage Saint-Pierre at N 19: Former property of the Lambinet family, (Jean-François was mayor of Versailles in 1848) who gave his name to the museum of the same name and city of Versailles museum located on Avenue de la Reine. This disect the Avenue de Paris and the Avenue de Saint Cloud, and great for shopping at Monoprix! and the Post Office but as you can see nice buildings even here too.
And closer to home base, this is the Rue Carnot , the former Rue de la Pompe (pump) name due to the water tower, built in 1665 to No. 7 house which fed at the beginning of the reign of Louis XIV the reservoir of the Cave of Tethys from the pond of Clagny. The pumping was done with a horse wagon ride. It was later named after the President of the French Republic Sadi Carnot. At N 1: Carnot Elementary School. Former Hotel de Noailles, owned by the family of the Marquis de La Fayette’s wife who stayed there. Acquired by the city in 1867. N 2a Neoclassical facade. Former property of Antoine Gibus, a hat maker ,from 1862 to 1870 (his name designates a top hat), then more recently René Aubert President of the Académie de Versailles. No. 5: Stables of King Louis XIV in 1672, then of the Queen and the Dauphine; Prison in the French revolution, then barracks of the Queen’s Quarter and today Court of Appeal of Justice. N 6: Former hotel of the Duc de Bouillon, N 10: Entrance of the stables of Monsieur, Duke of Orléans (brother of King Louis XIV). N° 11: Facade of the Pavilion of the Springs (House of the caretakers) built in 1683 with drinking water reservoir for the city. The water was derived from the sources of the towns of Rocquencourt and Chesnay (today one town). N 12: Old hotel of Duras and Montmorency, then Bath spa Hotel. N 40: Former Hôtel de la Roche or Royal Pavilion (family whose members were caretakers of the menagerie). N 44: Former Café Amaury at the corner of the Avenue de Saint-Cloud, in 1789 place of meeting of the Breton Club (the third State) from where the Club des Jacobins of Paris came out. Picture from rue Carnot entering the passage antiques of the rue des Deux Portes !
Back closer to the castle and one of my favorite street that loved to walked many times is the Rue des Reservoirs . Created in 1672, the old street of the trough located at the entrance of the Rue de la Paroisse. The name of the reservoirs of the castle built in 1685 and now extinct due to the construction of the north wing of the castle. They were located above Madame de Pompadour’s hotel. At N 2-4: Hotel of the government (of the Governor of Versailles), former Hotel of Louvois built in 1672, renovated in 1778. Attributed to the Ministry of War in 1834. In 2015, rehabilitation of public offices in private housing. N 6: Hôtel Ecquevilly named after the captains of the Hunters of Saint-Germain. N 7 Hotel of Reservoirs built at the beginning of the 20C. It replaced the private mansion of Madame de Pompadour and the one in the king’s storage room. The aerial pump of water from the reservoirs was located before 1750 here. It was the Government Hotel from 1765 to 1789 before knowing several owners and being bought by the State in 1934 and assigned to the castle. N 8 former Hotel de Sérent rebuilt. N 9-11 Hotel du Garde-Meuble de la Couronne (or wardrobe of the Crown) built in 1784 . It housed the prefecture of Seine-et-Oise from 1800 to 1867. Rehabilitation in 2015 in apartments of standing with underground parking. N 13 Théâtre Montansier, current Theater Municipal de Versailles, built in 1776 by Mademoiselle de Montansier, founder and director of numerous Parisian theatres (including those of the Palais-Royal and the Variétés).It was inaugurated in the presence of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette in 1777. It is distinguished by its entirely round room and its blue and gold decor. N 16: Hotel of the family of the Trémoïlle (duke of Thouars) put on sale after the French revolution now not well kept. N 19: (at the intersection with the Rue de la Paroisse), building where Ferdinand de Lesseps was born in 1852. N 22 Hôtel de Condé where lived and died Jean de La Bruyère and was born General Gaspard Gourgaud, a memorialist of Napoleon. Now Seventh-day Adventist Church. N 27: (at the intersection with the Boulevard de la Reine), a building where the painter Henri-Eugène le Sidaner lived . N 36: Former Hotel Vatel, one of the best restaurants of Versailles in 1900, disappeared in the 1980’s. And these are just the main buildings I like !!
And this one is hotter still , very close to my home. And a must to walk by as it is close to the Castle but also the Notre Dame market! As well as the historical significant Notre Dame Church (back was my home area!). The Rue de la Paroisse; this one is the one I cross most often at home. Filled with the sandy lands of the summit of the Butte de Montbauron under Louis XIV. At N 1: Location of the trough removed with the drying of the pond of Clagny from 1770, then land acquired by Soufflot architect of the Pantheon and now the Notre Dame market. N 7a: House of the lawyer Albert Joly in 1869. N 11: Hotel Pièche from the beginning of the 18C with facade ornaments of the late 19C. Jean-Joseph Pièche was a musician from the King’s chamber. See the dogs seated and the garlands of flowers carved between the windows. He would have seen Rameau and Boucher pass. It was restored between the two wars. N 15 House with the sign of the royal mark in the 18C. N 35: Notre-Dame Church created in 1686. N 37-39-41 former House of the mission of Notre-Dame (1686); Order founded by Saint-Vincent-de-Paul. N 43: Supposedly the house of Dionis surgeon of Louis XIV. N 49: House of Félix de Tassy, surgeon of Louis XIV .N 53 Hotel de Bretagne, house of Guy Fagon, surgeon of Louis XIV (or the name of Saint-Côme patron of Surgeons, formerly attributed to this portion of street). N 63: House at the Grande Fontaine, by the name of Fontaine, the public works contractor who resided there under Louis XIV. N 79 building with the sign of the Rising Sun. Birth House of the poet Jean-François Ducis. N 2 and 4 House of the caretakers built under Louis XVI. At No. 4 lived Joseph-Adrien Le Roi, head of Clinic at the hospice and historian of the Streets of Versailles (1860). N 6-6 bis 8-10 Hôtel de Saxena: stable of the Dauphine mother of Louis XVI, then Hôtel de Berry belonging to the Comte de Provence.(bro of Louis XVI and later king Louis XVIII) N 28: Restaurant of the Comte de Toulouse. N 32 In 1811, owned by the wife of Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , zoologist at the Natural History Museum.. No.14 or 15 Location of Madame de Maintenon charitable home, rebuilt in 1772. N 112, in 1734 Auberge Au roi Charlemagne cabaret in Versailles. Again, some of the buildings I like while walking there,lots more a wonderful street.
There you go folks, a little bit of my beloved Versailles, a town full of history of France and the world, that needs more personal and up close attention by you all. Like I said, Versailles is a lot more than the palace !! Again, hope you enjoy the post as I,
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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