Paris Mayor Blocks Emir of Qatar's Mansion Plans

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Jan 8th 2009 at 11:01AM

The mayor of Paris is blocking the Emir of Qatar's plans for a multimillion-dollar renovation of the Hotel Lambert (above), an historic 17th century mansion in the Quai d'Anjou on the city's Île Saint-Louis. Mayor Bertrand Delanoë says the Emir's upgrades pose a serious threat to the Paris' architectural heritage, the Property Wire reports. The Emir's plans for the three-story building, built in 1639 by Louis Le Vau and part of a Unesco World Heritage site, include underground parking, new elevators and a the addition of new bed and bathrooms to the living quarters. "This is a real threat to a gem of Paris' heritage, the only private house from the end of Louis the XIII's reign that remains untouched," Delanoë stated in a letter to France's Culture Minister Christine Albanel. "I want this plan to be reconsidered, taking the time for a thorough examination."

As mayor, Delanoë has the power to block real estate projects that do not conform to the city's urban code. The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, was ranked at No. 7 on Forbes' list of the world's richest royals in 2008 with a fortune of $2 billion. He bought the mansion at the tip of the Paris island in 2007 from the Rothschild family for about $100 million, and plans to spend about another $20 million on renovations. He owns several other properties in Paris. Critics of the Emir's plans point out the lavishly appointed mansion already has 12 bathrooms and three elevators, aside from its many historic features. As a former resident of the Île Saint-Louis, I agree with the mayor that it would be a shame to disfigure such an important edifice in such a beautiful locale merely for the sake of convenience and vanity.

Gallery: HÃ´tel Lambert

Antique painting showing the mansion's orig. setting

Tags: Emir of Qatar, EmirOfQatar, Ile Saint-Louis, IleSaint-louis, Paris, Qatar

Filed under: Estates

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

shieldsbrown Jan 8th 2009 1:13PM

Yay mayor! What is it with these idiots who want to take glorious old buildings and reduce them to yet another piece of egotistical crap?! I live in a town that started out with a lot of beautiful old homes, but people can't tear them down fast enough to build some bloated mcmansion. Everyone please stop it. Don't. Just, don't. We get that you're rich and powerful. We see your Rolls Royce, your bespoke suit. Thing is: we don't care. No one cares. Except you. And that's not a good enough reason to go despoiling something beautiful. Just get over yourself.