Victor Louis

He was born Louis-Nicolas Louis in Paris.^[2] He did not adopt the name Victor until after he returned from a trip to Poland in 1765.^[3] In 1770 he married the pianist and composer Marie-Emmanuelle Bayon. They had a daughter, Marie-Hélène-Victoire, in 1774.^[4] A full biography of Victor Louis was published by Charles Marionneau in Bordeaux in 1881.^[5]

Louis' masterpiece is the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux of 1780.^[6] He also designed other theatres, including the Salle Richelieu on the rue de Richelieu (1790, later to become the home of the Comédie-Française) and the Théâtre National de la rue de la Loi (1793, demolished).^[7] The Salle Richelieu was the first major building with a roof structure of iron which was selected for its fire-resistant qualities when compared with wood.^[8][9] Other buildings include the Intendance in Besançon (completed 1776), the garden galleries of the Palais-Royal in Paris (1781–1784), the Salle de Beaujolais (1782–83), and the Château du Bouilh near Bordeaux (1786–1789, unfinished).^[10][11]

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  Château de Filières [fr], Gommerville, 1768
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  Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, 1773-1780
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  Central staircase of the Théâtre de Bordeaux
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  Hôtel de Saige [fr], Bordeaux, 1775-1777
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  Intendance de Besançon [fr] (garden facade), 1771-1778
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  Château de Tauzia [fr], Gradignan, 1778
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  Château d'Anglade [fr], Izon, 1778
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  Salle Richelieu
  (as designed by Louis)
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  Auditorium of the Salle Richelieu
  (as designed by Louis)
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  Design for the garden galleries of the Palais-Royal
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  Perspective view of the garden galleries of the Palais-Royal
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  Château of Le Bouilh
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  Auditorium of the Théâtre-National
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  Architectural drawings of the Théâtre-National