In the 16^th century, Charles IX was the first to undertake the significant changes that led to what is now known as Place Vendôme. During that time, the Duke of Retz built one of the famous buildings that now adjoins the square. In 1602, the Duke of Mercoeur purchased the property, which then passed on to the son of Henri IV and Gabrielle d'Estrées, César of Vendôme, who married the duke's daughter. The Mercoeur residence became known as the Hotel Vendôme.

Towards the end of the 17^th century, a group of wealthy financiers wanted to build a new quarter in the area, an idea that Louvois, Louis XIV's minister, eventually carried out. Louvois' vision was that of a magnificent square glorifying Louis XIV's reign and victories. He set to work and acquired the necessary property, including a nearby former Capucin convent. Mansart and Coffrand were the architects who drew up the square's plan. Initially designed as a rectangle, it evolved into an irregular octagon, which was believed to have a more monumental appearance.

Louvois wanted to locate several institutions, such as the king's library and the French Academy, in the adjoining buildings. However, his untimely death in 1691 left the idea stranded. That is how the 28 buildings surrounding the square came to be owned by several world-renowned artists, aristocrats and businessmen. John Law was among the first to live in one of the palaces, and it was here that a huge crowd gathered when his system went bankrupt. The ministry of justice bought the building in 1717, which makes it the square's oldest continuous occupant. The palace at number 12, now home of the jeweler Chaumet, belonged to Princess Delphine Potocka; the composer Chopin died here in 1849. In 1898, César Ritz bought the palace named after him at number 15 and 17; it stands on the site of the former Crozat palace. Many famous people have lived here, including Marcel Proust, Ernest Hemingway and Coco Chanel. In 1979, the Ritz was bought by Mohamed Al Fayed.

Louvois did not live to see the equestrian statue of Louis XIV that he had planned for the center of the square. The monument eventually came to a rather tragic end: a revolutionary mob pulled it down in 1792, 100 years after its completion. In 1800, a decision was taken to erect a column glorifying French military victories, but nothing came of the project. Napoleon wanted to bring Trajan's Column from Rome to Paris and erect it in the Place Vendôme, but artists opposed the idea and it was dropped. Eventually, a bronze column made of melted-down Russian and Austrian cannons captured at Austerlitz was set up with Napoleon's statue on top. At first, he was depicted as a Roman emperor wearing a traditional Roman toga. In 1833, he was portrayed as the Little Corporal with his legendary hat. This statue was itself pulled down during the Parisian uprising of 1873 (the "Commune" uprising). The current statue portrays Napoleon I as a roman emperor. Note that the bas-relief at the base of the statue is a copy of the decoration on Trajan's Column.

Click here to read Serban Brebenel's feature on Place Charles de Gaulle.
Click here to read Serban Brebenel's feature on Place de la Concorde.

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