Passage Choiseul
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The Passage Choiseul (French pronunciation: [pasaʒ ʃwazœl]) is one of the covered passages of Paris, located in the 2nd arrondissement.[1] It is the continuation of the Rue de Choiseul.
The Passage Choiseul is on a site previously occupied by four hôtels particuliers, acquired by the Mallet Bank for a real-estate development that included the Opéra-Comique's nearby Salle Ventadour.[2] The passage was built between 1826 and 1827, first to the designs of the architect François Mazois, then Antoine Tavernier.[2] Mazois died before the building was complete, and Tavernier completed the work.[3]
The author Louis-Ferdinand Céline lived there as a child in the early 20th century. The Passage Choiseul is mentioned in two of his novels: Journey to the End of the Night and Death on the Installment Plan.[2] Céline described it as having gas lamps that "stank as badly as the stagnant air", and the aroma of "dogs urine" in the passage.[1]
In 1907, the glass roof was replaced (although its ironwork dates from 1891[4]). The passage later fell into disrepair. In the 1970s, visitation increased when Kenzo opened a boutique in the passage. They have since relocated to the Place des Victoires.[citation needed]
