The Hôtel de Magny, dating from the 18th century and located in the heart of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, and which houses the administrative offices of the National Museum of Natural History needs an urgent renovation.
The hotel was built between 1696 and 1700 by Pierre Bullet, the architect of Louis XIV, and was originally between the Jardin du Roy (created in 1626 by Louis XIII, and which became Jardin des Plantes) and the Saint-Victor Abbey. He was appointed in honor of Foucault de Magny, intendant of the king from 1758 to 1779, who was the owner. In 1787, the Count of Buffon had the estate joined in the Jardin du Roy he was responsible for. The whole covered an area of 26 hectares. In 1793, the National Museum of Natural History was created at the site of the Jardin du Roy, and the hotel welcomed scientists such as the anatomist Georges Cuvier (1769-1832) or the naturalist Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck (1744-1829), as well as the meetings of their assembly.
Deployed over 940 m2 spread over five floors, the building has undergone several transformations and enlargements over the centuries. Today the oldest building even visible in the Jardin des Plantes, the hotel was classified as a historic monument in 1993.
But the building is weakened by time. The external facades are damaged, with cracked or missing plasters, dirty stones, bursts due to the corrosion of irons and infiltration of salts in the masonry. The building sags into the soil, aggravating the structural risks, while the persistent humidity weakens the building.
A restoration project aimed at handing the building in its 19th century state was launched. This should allow the renovation of the roof, major stone masonry and outdoor joinery, as well as improving energy performance. A marquise and two lampposts on the northwest facade of the building, which had disappeared in the 20th century, will be returned in their original appearance.
All the bas-reliefs will be restored, as are the decorations of the posts of the southwest facade. The pediment of the northwest facade, carved in limestone stone and adorned with a bas-relief on the theme of the sea, today protected by safety nets, must be consolidated. The fittings also provide for the restoration of interiors as well as the resumption of sanitation networks to sustainably secure the building.
The cost of the operation is estimated at 11.5 million euros. In addition to institutional funding, the museum has attached itself to the Heritage Foundation to launch a call for corporate patronage, with the aim of collecting one million euros, and plans to launch the site, which should last two years in the fall of 2025.
