Who was contracted to demolish the Bastille after its fall?

Pierre-François Palloy was contracted to demolish the Bastille after its fall. The Parisian building contractor began dismantling the fortress almost immediately after it was stormed on 14 July 1789, and secured the demolition contract two days later.

Palloy organized a large workforce to take apart the medieval prison-fortress. Much of the stone was reused, including in the construction of the Pont de la Concorde. The demolition transformed the Bastille from a symbol of royal authority into physical evidence of the Revolution.

Palloy also understood the power of revolutionary souvenirs. He had miniature Bastilles made from the fortress's stone and distributed them around France, while other fragments became commemorative objects. This helped spread the Bastille's new meaning as a symbol of liberty.

A common mix-up is to credit the revolutionary crowd or the Paris authorities collectively. They enabled the demolition, but Palloy was the contractor who organized and carried out the work.