Which French Baroque architect designed the Place Vendôme in Paris?

Which French Baroque architect designed the Place Vendôme in Paris? The architect was Jules Hardouin-Mansart.

Hardouin-Mansart shaped the Place Vendôme as a grand royal square during the reign of Louis XIV. Earlier schemes imagined a more openly monumental public complex, but the plan was revised in 1699 into a regular square with uniform façades for private hôtels particuliers. His design used strong classical ordering, arcades, Corinthian pilasters and projecting pedimented sections.

The square was originally called Place Louis-le-Grand, honoring Louis XIV. It later became Place Vendôme, taking its name from the former Hôtel de Vendôme on the site. Although the square is rectangular, the angled corner screens give it an almost octagonal appearance.

A frequent confusion is between Jules Hardouin-Mansart and François Mansart. They were related but belonged to different generations; François was the earlier architect whose surname helped inspire the term “Mansard roof.” The Vendôme Column at the center is a much later addition, erected under Napoleon in 1810.