Editing Place de la Concorde (section)

=== Design and construction ===
[[File:Place Louis XV - Projet de Gabriel.JPG|thumb|left|The project by [[Ange-Jacques Gabriel]] for Place Louis XV (1758)]]

The square was originally designed to be the site of an equestrian statue of King [[Louis XV]], commissioned in 1748 by the merchants of Paris, to celebrate the recovery of King Louis XV from a serious illness. The site chosen for the statue was the large esplanade, or space between the revolving gate, the [[Tuileries Garden]] and the Cour-la-Reine, a popular lane for horseback riding at the edge of the city. At the time, the [[Pont de la Concorde (Paris)|Concorde bridge]] and the [[Rue de Rivoli]] did not exist, and the [[Rue Royale, Paris|Rue Royale]] was a muddy lane that descended down to a marsh beside the [[Seine]].<ref>Hillairet, Jacques, "Connaissance du Vieux Paris" (2017), p. 235</ref>

The architect [[Ange-Jacques Gabriel]] made a plan for the site and the square was finished by 1772. It was in the form of an octagon, bordered by a sort of moat twenty meters wide, crossed by stone bridges, and surrounded by a stone balustrade. At the eight corners Gabriel placed stone stairways to descend into the square, which was divided into flowerbeds. In the center of the gardens was the pedestal on which the statue stood. The statue, by [[Edmé Bouchardon]], depicted the King on horseback as the victor of the [[Battle of Fontenoy]], dressed as a Roman general, with a laurel wreath on his head. On the four corners of the pedestal, designed by [[Jean Chalgrin]], are bronze statues by [[Jean-Baptiste Pigalle]], depicting the virtues of great monarchs; Force, Justice, Prudence, and Peace.<ref>Hillairet, Jacques, "Connaissance du Vieux Paris" (2017), p. 235</ref>

The statue was dedicated on 20 June 1763, but by this time the King had lost much of his popularity. A few days after its dedication, someone hung a placard on the statue, proclaiming: "Oh, the beautiful statue! Oh, the fine pedestal! The Virtues are under the feet, and Vice is in the saddle!"<ref>Hillairet, Jacques, "Connaissance du Vieux Paris" (2017), p. 235</ref>

On the north side of the square, between 1760 and 1775, Gabriel planned and built two palatial buildings with identical façades. The classical façades were inspired by those created by [[Claude Perrault]], the royal architect, for the façade of the Louvre. They were originally intended to be occupied by embassies, but in the end the east building became a depot for the Royal furnishings, then the headquarters of the [[French Navy]], the [[Hôtel de la Marine]]. The west building was divided into individual properties for the nobility.<ref>Hillairet, Jacques, "Connaissance du Vieux Paris" (2017), p. 236</ref>