Redefining the Past: Revolutionary Architecture and the Conseil des Bâtiments Civils

Abstract

Despite the removal of their most reliable clientele and the dire economic situation, architects continued to practice actively in the 1790s, rallying to the challenge of redefining the royal patrimony in revolutionary terms. It fell to the Conseil des Bâtiments Civils, architectural arm of the Directory government, to preside over the conversion of ancien-regime space to accommodate a new social agenda. Analyzed here in conjunction with revolutionary legislation, the proceedings of the Conseil's weekly meetings expose significant changes in the nature of architectural work at the close of the eighteenth century.