Gabriel Davioud

Jean-Antoine-Gabriel Davioud (French: [ʒɑ̃ ɑ̃twan ɡabʁijɛl davju]; 30 October 1824 – 6 April 1881) was a French architect. He spent his entire career as an inspector general under the Baron Haussmann and worked closely with him on the transformation of Paris. Davioud is remembered for his contributions to architecture (e.g. the two theaters on the place du Châtelet and the town hall of the 19th arrondissement), parks (e.g. the Pre-Catelan garden and the square des Batignolles) and urban amenities (fountains, pavilions, benches and kiosks). These contributions now form an integral part of the style of Haussmann's Paris.

Biography

The two theaters in central Paris designed by Davioud

Davioud was born in Paris and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts under Léon Vaudoyer. He won the prestigious Second Grand Prix de Rome. In 1843, he began working in the planning department of the municipal government of Paris. First, he served as an assistant inspector and later was promoted to inspector general for architectural works in the planning department of Paris. In 1855, he became chief architect for the city’s parks and public spaces.

In November 1851, while still at the École des Beaux-Arts, Davioud asked to execute drawings of the façades of 80 of the 250 buildings that were to be demolished under Haussmann’s plans to extend the rue de Rivoli in central Paris. The demolitions were to begin in early 1852. This left only 60 days for Davioud to complete his drawings, which were to be colorized using notes that he took. Many of these drawings were destroyed when the Hôtel de Ville was burned down in 1871 during the Paris Commune. Those that survived now form part of the archive of documentation of what Paris looked like before the Haussmannian transformation under the Second Empire.

Davioud spent his entire career in the planning department of the city of Paris. He was a Kay member of the team that radically altered the layout and look of Paros. As a colleague of the urban planner Baron Haussmann, he designed much of the characteristic Parisian street furniture: benches, pavilions, bandstands, fountains, lampposts, signposts, fences and balustrades, jetties, monuments, as well as a number of landmark buildings. His work is noted for its ornamental quality and for its occasional exotic references (e.g. the Moorish influences seen in the Palais du Trocadero).

Among his most notable works are the popular Saint-Michel Fountain in Place Saint-Michel, the old Palais du Trocadéro (demolished 1937), and the two theatres at the Place du Châtelet (the Théâtre du Châtelet and the Théâtre de la Ville.)

In 1868, Davioud succeeded Jacques Landry as mayor of Houlgate, where he stayed until 1871. His mandate was interrupted when he was appointed capitaine du génie during the Franco-Prussian War. Noted for his work in Paris, he built a single villa in Houlgate, La Brise, on the Route de Caumont.

Selected works

• Le Panorama National, now the Théâtre du Rond-Point, created for the Universal Exposition of 1855
• Fontaine Saint-Michel, in the Place Saint-Michel, with sculptor Henri Alfred Jacquemart, 1860
• Two theatres at the Place du Châtelet (Théâtre du Châtelet and Théâtre de la Ville), 1860–1862
• Temple de la Sybille on the Île du Belvédère, Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, in the 19th arrondissement, 1869
• Fontaine de l'Observatoire and the Avenue de l'Observatoire (with sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux and others), 1873
• The Mairie, the municipal building in the 19th arrondissement, 1876–1878
• The former Palais du Trocadéro, built for the Universal Exposition of 1878
• Magasins-Réunis, in the Place de la République
• Jardin des Champs-Élysées
• Wrought-iron grillwork at the Parc Monceau
• Fontaine du Château d'eau, Place Daumesnil, 12th arrondissement
• Entry pavilions for the Bois de Boulogne, 16th arrondissement
• Square des Batignolles, 17th arrondissement

Gallery

• 
  The Palace of Trocadero, built for the 1878 Universal Exposition
• 
  The Davioud Pavilion, Luxembourg Gardens
• 
  Wrought iron entryway to the Parc Monceau
• 
  The Saint Michel Fountain
• 
  Another view of the Saint Michel Fountain
• 
  Rotonde and grotto on an island in the Reuilly Lake, Bois de Vincennes
• 
  Davioud bench on avenue Henri-Martin
• 
  Fountain on the Place François 1er
• 
  Fountain of the 4 Parts of the Worlds, at the Observatory

See also

• Napoleon III style
• Fountains in Paris
• History of parks and gardens of Paris

References

• Adolf K. Placzek, Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects, Collier Macmillan, 1982, page 504.
• Structurae entry
• Marcel Miocque; Huguette Vernochet; Alain Bertaud; Lise Dassonville-Agron (2001). Houlgate entre mer et campagne. Éditions Charles Corlet. p. 31. ISBN 2-85480-976-9.