Known as the “City of Lights,” Paris is one of the most famous metropolises in the entire world. Its history harkens back centuries, beginning with the arrival of the Celtic Parisii nearly two millennia ago. They specifically settled around a small island within the Seine that later would be called the “Île de la Cité.” Over time, the small Parisii community emerged as one of the major trading hubs in the region, entertaining merchants from places as far south as the Iberian Peninsula. Its prosperity eventually attracted the attention of the Roman Empire, though, which had been conquering the area of modern-day France amid a conflict known to history as the “Gallic Wars.” Once the Romans subjugated the Parisii in the 1st century BC, they immediately began to redevelop the entire area. They subsequently constructed a much larger settlement that they christened as “Lutetia Parisiorum,” which literally meant “Lutetia of the Parisii.” But unlike the earlier Celtic town, the new Roman city gradually concentrated along the Seine’s left bank. Nevertheless, great wealth continued to flow into the community, leading to a massive wave of construction that expanded its size exponentially. Dozens of magnificent structures quickly dominated the local skyline, including several theaters, temples, baths, and storefronts. Lutetia even entertained a sprawling forum and a spacious amphitheater. (Christianity also arrived in the region, too, with the semi-mythical Saint Davis functioning as its first official bishop during the 3rd century AD.)

But Lutetia’s golden years came to an end when the Roman Empire gradually collapsed throughout the 4th century. Now known exclusively by the name “Parisius,” it soon fell prey to roving bands of Huns—and later Vikings—who prowled across Western Europe with the absence of Roman influence. A group of Germanic people known as the Franks eventually asserted their dominance, who were led by a mighty nobleman named “Clovis.” Clovis’ descendants—known as the “Merovingians”—managed to finally reintroduce some stability, ruling over much of France from Parisius until their successors—the “Carolingians”—relocated the capital to Aachen. The city and its surrounding environs soon reverted to the status of a medieval “county,” which struggled to protect itself from raiders traveling along the Seine. Thankfully, the community was finally spared when one of its ruling counts, Odo, fought off the Vikings once and for all during the Siege of Paris in the late 9th century. (Odo and his line of Robertians would briefly rule over France afterward.) Yet, the city—known by this point as “Paris”—did not truly return to political and cultural relevance until the election of Hugh Capet as French monarch in 987. His own royal dynasty would subsequently rule over France for the next four centuries, with two cadet branches—the Valois and the Bourbons—succeeding it for another five.

Under the Capetians and their successors, Paris reemerged as the cultural capital of France. The monarchs helped directly spawn its rapid growth, commissioning the dredging of the Seine’s right bank for the creation of new neighborhoods. In fact, a whole new massive marketplace debuted in Paris (Les Halles), which subsequently replaced the smaller, older one situated at the Île de la Cité. Still, the Île de la Cité remained the essential “heart” of the city, serving as the site of both the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral and the royal palace, the “Palais de la Cité.” Furthermore, the city quickly became protected by a massive fortress called the “Louvre,” which guarded against foreign military excursions at the height of the Hundred Years War. Yet, despite the imposing defenses that resided within Paris, armies led by the rival Burgundians and English captured the city in the first half of the 15th century. But once the English and their allies were finally defeated in 1453, Paris reverted back to its role as the bastion of the French monarchy. French kings continued to expand upon the city greatly, focusing more on its appearance rather than its military significance. Grander buildings subsequently opened in Paris, including the famed Pont Neuf, the Places des Vosges, and an extension of the Louvre called the “Tuileries Palace.”

Paris once again ceased functioning as the official French capital when King Louis XIV, the “Sun King,” moved his entire court to the Palace of Versailles just beyond the city limits. Still, Paris remained culturally significant, with all kinds of institutions devoted to the arts and sciences debuting inside it. The city, thus, became one of the major intellectual centers for the Enlightenment, as many authors, scientists, and philosophers quickly called the destination home. More beautiful buildings opened as such, including the Place Vendôme, the Places des Victories, and Les Invalides. Even the Champs-Élysées—the main thoroughfare through Paris—underwent a dramatic renovation, as all kinds of gorgeous mansions and shrubbery lined the road. But France began to suffer from a prolonged economic crisis that fanned the flames of discontent toward the French crown. As such, Paris was the epicenter for the French Revolution when it finally erupted in 1789. King Louis XVI and his family were then brought to the city, where they were tried as traitors and executed at the height of the revolution’s Reign of Terror. After a decade of continued political instability, Napoleon Bonaparte—a successful revolutionary general from Corsica—seized power as First Consul, and then Emperor. And while Napoleon fought a series of wars of conquest across Europe, he also proceeded to fully restore Paris back to the capital of France. He specifically bestowed it with his royal patronage that led to a new wave of construction throughout the city. As such, he constructed dozens of new iconic landmarks, like the Arc de Triomphe, the Canal de l’Ourcq, and the Pont des Arts.

Paris continued to permanently act as the official French capital, even after Napoleon’s final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Yet, the city truly began to take on its current appearance and prestige during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte III, who had risen to power in the wake of the tumultuous Revolutions of 1848. Selecting a French official named Georges-Eugène Haussmann, he commissioned a massive building project that sought to transform downtown Paris into what he considered to be a “modern” western city. Its greatest legacy were the buildings that Haussmann constructed, which displayed his patented “Second Empire” architecture. (It is this architectural style that mainly defines Paris’ cityscape to this very day!) Paris continued to endure as a beacon of French—and Western—culture for decades thereafter, even when it was periodically beset by war during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It hosted two magnificent international expositions, such as the 1889 Universal Exposition and the 1900 Universal Exposition, which further solidified Paris’ emerging status as Europe’s cultural capital. (The Eiffel Tower—Paris’ most iconic landmark—debuted the central attraction to one of those fairs.) Many intellectuals from around Europe also continued to move to Paris, too, making it the birthplace of such artistic movements like “Naturalism,” “Impressionism,” “Cubism,” and many other art forms. Paris today still embraces its place in the world as a purveyor of culture, countless museums, art galleries, and theaters attracting thousands of visitors each year. Its historic downtown—centered around the Île de la Cité—have even been designated as one of the most prolific UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Truly few places are better throughout the world for a wonderful, cultural heritage experience that the magnificent “City of Lights.”

When the Sofitle Paris Arc de Triomphe first debuted as the Hotel Windsor back in the early 20th century, it featured a great adaptation of Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s brand of Second Empire architecture. Also known simply as “mansard style,” Second Empire architecture first emerged in Paris at the height of the reign of Emperor Napoléon III. Born Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, he was the nephew of the legendary Napoléon Bonaparte of the French Revolution. He rose to power by serving as France’s president before making himself its monarch by the middle of the 1800s. Nevertheless, his reign saw a brief restoration in French national pride that was accompanied by a cultural renaissance that affected everything from the arts to the sciences. One the areas that saw this development was architecture. Napoléon III had taken a particular interest with architectural projects at the time, going as far as to commission the complete redesign of Paris’ central cityscape. He subsequently appointed engineer Georges-Eugène Haussmann for the project, instructing the latter to create a new generation of buildings that could accommodate the city’s swelling population. Largely borrowing design elements from the French Renaissance of the 16th century, Haussmann essentially created a brand-new architectural form that soon defined the appearance of Paris. While the project itself only lasted from 1853 to 1870, its impact was felt throughout the world for many years thereafter. Haussmann’s new form quickly appeared across France, as well as many other countries throughout Europe, including Belgium, Austria, and England. Furthermore, the architecture quickly emerged in North America, finding a popular audience in both the United States and Canada. Many hoteliers like Frank Jones saw the fabulous design aesthetics of Second Empire architecture and copied it for their own structures throughout the remainder of the 19th century.

Second Empire architecture was specifically meant for larger structures that could easily showcase its ornate features and grandiose materials. Architects, business owners and other professionals who embraced the form believed that it represented the best of modernity and human progress. This idea especially found an audience in the America, where society was largely perceived to be on an upward path of collective mobility. (In fact, the architecture had become so enmeshed in American society that some took to calling it “General Grant” style.) The form looked similar to the equally popular Italianate-style, in which it embraced an asymmetrical floor plan that was rooted to either a “U” or “L” shaped foundation. The buildings usually stood two to three stories, although some commercial structures—like hotels—exceeded that threshold. Large ornate windows proliferated across the facade, while a brilliant warp-around porch occasionally functioned as the main entry point. The porches would also have several outstanding columns, designed to appear smooth in appearance. Every window and doorway featured decorative brackets that typically sat underneath lavish cornices and overhanging eaves. Gorgeous towers known and cupolas typically resided toward the top of the building, too. But Second Empire architecture broke from Italianate in one major way—the appearance of the roof. Architects always incorporated a mansard-style roof onto the building, which consisted of a four-sided, gambrel-style structure that was divided among two different slopes. Set at a much longer, steeper angle than the first, the second slope often contained many beautiful dormer windows. The mansard roof became a central component to Second Empire architecture after Georges-Eugène Haussmann and his fellow French architects starting using it for their own designs. They had specifically sought to copy the mansard roof of The Louvre, which the renowned François Mansart had created back at the height of the French Renaissance.