In 1823, Marchoux, the president of the Chambre des Notaires, bought the mansions of president Vanel and Bautru de Serrant, at number 6 rue Vivienne and number 4 rue des Petits-Champs, as well as the Passage des Petits-Pères. His intention was to create a covered passageway lined with shops; such passageways--precursors of our present day shopping malls--were very much in vogue at the time. Marchoux entrusted the construction of this arcade to the architect Delannoy.
Opening to the public in 1826, at the same time as its competitor the Galerie Colbert, the Galerie Marchoux was quickly renamed the Galerie Vivienne. It displayed a décor which exalted commerce: an anchor representing maritime trade, a cornucopia symbolizing abundance, and the wand of Mercury, protector of commerce.
Benefiting from an exceptional location between the Palais Royal, the Bourse (Stock Exchange), and the Grands Boulevards, the Galerie Vivienne was a continuous success up until the end of the Second Empire. At the time it was said of the Galerie that “...no other arcade is better situated than it [is] to be a lively thoroughfare and a vibrant center of activity…”
The famous restaurant Grignon was located here, as were fashionable boutiques, a bookseller, and engravers’ shops. At number 13, the grand staircase of the mansion that was once the home of Vidacq, an ex-convict who later became a chief of police, is visible. In the latter part of the XIX century the Galerie Vivienne housed a lyric theatre, and later on, the Petit-Theatre des Marionnettes. The Galerie is lined with graceful fanlight windows and the rotunda is further ornamented with nymphs and goddesses.
ADDRESSES
6 rue Vivienne
13 passage colbert
5 rue de la banque
4 rue des petits champs
