Hôtel Perrinet de Jars

Hôtel Perrinet de Jars is a listed private mansion in Paris, standing at 33 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in the 8th arrondissement.

Where exactly is the Hôtel Perrinet de Jars?

The mansion sits on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, a street lined with embassies, ministries and luxury boutiques, in the 8th arrondissement close to the Élysée Palace. Its coordinates, roughly 48.8692°N, 2.3199°E, place it right at the heart of Paris's diplomatic and government quarter.

Who built it, and why does it carry this name?

The building went up in 1714, designed by the architect Pierre Grandhomme for Anne Levieux, wife of a financier. Its present name comes from a later owner, the tax farmer (fermier général) Étienne Perrinet de Jars, who commissioned a remodeling from the royal architect Jean-Michel Chevotet. Because of subsequent owners, the house is also sometimes known as the Hôtel de Guébriant.

How did the mansion change hands over the 19th century?

In 1810 the property was bought by Denis Decrès, Napoleon I's minister of the navy. Between 1849 and 1864 it was rented out to the Russian ambassador, Count Kisselev. Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild became the owner in 1856, and around 1864 he had the architect Léon Ohnet carry out another major renovation: the street-facing wing and staircase were rebuilt, and 18th-century wood paneling from 1762, originally carved by Étienne-Louis Boullée for the Hôtel Tourolle on rue Charlot, was installed inside.

What is inside the building today?

Since 1920 the mansion has belonged to the Cercle de l'Union Interalliée, a private club founded in 1917 that bought the property from Henri de Rothschild. The building is a protected historic monument and remains the club's clubhouse today, used for members' gatherings and events rather than as a site open to the general public.

Why does this address matter to visitors walking the Faubourg Saint-Honoré?

Even without going inside, the mansion's facade and setting are part of the streetscape of one of Paris's most prestigious avenues, surrounded by embassies and institutional headquarters. For anyone interested in 18th- and 19th-century architecture, the building's succession of owners - a financier, a minister, a count, then a banking family - illustrates how Paris's grand private residences kept being reshaped generation after generation.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors go inside the Hôtel Perrinet de Jars? No. It functions as the private clubhouse of the Cercle de l'Union Interalliée and is not open to outside visitors.

Where does the building's name come from? From Étienne Perrinet de Jars, an 18th-century tax farmer who owned the mansion and commissioned its remodeling by architect Jean-Michel Chevotet.

How do you get to the Hôtel Perrinet de Jars? It stands on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in the 8th arrondissement, near the Élysée Palace, in a well-connected part of central Paris.

Does the building have another name? Yes, it is sometimes referred to as the Hôtel de Guébriant, after one of its earlier owners.