In the fourth arrondissement of Paris, at the corner of Quai des Célestins and Boulevard Henri IV, there is a fine example of a belle époque apartment building from the beginning of the twentieth century.

2 Quai des Célestins

It is a solid stone building with seven floors above ground level, with the traditional black cast-iron fences at the windows and balconies. At various places on the façade there are decorations with Art Nouveau elements, such as oak leaves and female masks. This building is next door to the Hôtel Fieubet (École Massillon).

Architect and builder

One of the stones is engraved with the words “A. Poussin Architecte 1905”.
Another says “A. Bassinet Constructeur 1905”

If you wanted to buy an apartment in this building (assuming one was up for sale), you might be interested in knowing that the estimated average price per square meter is listed as € 12,840 (as of 2020).

Flower shop

In the ground floor of this building there is a large flower shop which is open 365 days a year.

The street Quai des Célestins was named after a convent of the Celestine order, which was located here from 1254 until it was desecrated during the French Revolution in 1790.

Cycle track and Vélib station 4005

The Vélib’ station 4005 is located directly in front of the apartment building at 2 Quai des Célestins. My photo shows the grey bikes of the first-generation Vélib’ system, but the current Vélib’ Metropole system also has a station here with the same number. The building in the background, directly behind the bike station, is the Arsenal Library. Note the bicycle route sign (route number 1) pointing towards St Michel and St Germain-des-Prés.

My photos in this post are from 2014. I revised the text in 2020.

See more posts on the 4^th arrondissement of Paris.