Urban House Development in Paris at the End of the Eighteenth Century The Role of the Building Contractor – Owner or Builder?

Left by the wayside until now by historiography, the importance of the Parisian maison urbaine emerges clearly if we take a look at the surge in construction that dominated the capital at the end of the eighteenth century. The archival documents available that make reference to the maison urbaine’s design are unequivocal: building contractors—master masons or architects—were among its main agents. The study of their production and a comparison of the sources enables us to understand the characteristics of the development of this type of dwelling.