An Exclusive Mélange of Paris Grandeur and Modernity

After Louis XIV moved the royal court to Versailles, his nobles deserted the Marais to move further west, to what is now the city’s Seventh Arrondissement.

Along streets parallel to the Seine like the rues de Saint-Dominique, de Grenelle and de Varenne, they built splendid hotels particuliers, mansions that were positioned between front courtyards and lavish gardens.

Three hundred years later, access to this privileged world remains exclusive. It is one of the most protected parts of Paris. Property is subject to the stringent rules and regulations of both the Parisian government and the Batiments de France, which oversees the country’s historic architecture with considerable zeal.

Now a new development, 140 rue de Grenelle, which has been in the planning for more than 10 years, is offering an unusual entree into the gilded neighborhood.

On a historic site that was once part of the 18th-century hotel particulier of the Duc de Noirmoutier, 17 residential units — some with views of the golden dome of Invalides and the Eiffel Tower — are being created in five buildings dating from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

Sale prices at the project, expected to be completed next spring, range from €2.7 million to €40 million, or $3.5 million to $52 million.

The Paris architect Jean-Jacques Ory is handling the renovations, while the French architect Thierry Despont, whose New York-based company is responsible for the current renovation of the Paris Hotel Ritz, has designed the polished contemporary interiors.

The service that will be available to owners is what makes the project distinctive, along with its location, extensive gardens and history, the developers say.

“We are creating a level of service that didn’t exist in Paris: a 24-hour doorman and security, a concierge, access to 24-hour maintenance, staff on site and secure parking,” said Mark Shanker, an American who is one of the project’s partners. “These are things you are used to seeing in New York, London and other international capitals but have not been available here in multi-unit situations.”

Partners in the project are Mr. Shanker and the Russian billionaire Len Blavatnik, who is now a U.S. citizen, and his Access Industries. (The two men also recently restored Le Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat on the Cote d’Azur.)

The men, along with the Italian industrialist Paolo Poma Murialdo, acquired the site in 2003, but construction did not begin until 2011.

“The previous developer couldn’t get planning permission, and we purchased it from his creditors,” Mr. Shanker said. “When we walked in, it looked like an abandoned movie set with an enormous manege, an indoor riding ring.”

Getting new planning permission took eight years, and obtaining permits that included reclassifying the buildings for residential use was complicated by drawn-out appeals from neighbors. In the end, Mr. Shanker said, promises to create two levels of underground parking and plant a lot of greenery won the day.

Over all, the project forms an L-shaped enclave totaling 6,300 square meters, or 68,000 square feet. That includes 3,600 square meters of gardens that run between the entrance of the 18th-century building on the rue de Grenelle — just steps from the Esplanade des Invalides — to the rue de Babylone.

Five apartments in a historic 18th-century building, which fronts onto the rue de Grenelle and includes access to a courtyard garden, offer one to three bedrooms. Behind the building’s facade, which Mr. Ory restored using the 18th-century plans by the architect Jean Courtonne, there are contemporary interiors with solid oak floors, marble and limestone bathrooms and direct elevator access to the underground parking. Prices start at €2.73 million.

View the original article here