robjame: yes, there is no link for the Paris trip yet. I just came back on Saturday and I have not made a trip report yet. But my wife and I went there a few years back too and here is the link: http://gardkarlsen.com/paris.htm

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

"True but to Paris' credit, how many cities in the US can you think of that would have passed a maximum height restriction something like a hundred years ago and never wavered on it?"

Answer: Washington, DC (my hometown). No building in the District or the immediate suburbs (including the ever growing Arlington, VA) may build a structure higher than the Washington Monument, in order to ensure that this tribute to the Father of our Country will always be the city's most prominent feature. Of course, it's important to remember that Washington, DC, was laid out by none other than Pierre L'Enfant, who patterned the city after the capital of the nation who helped us win our independence. This explains why the layout of the streets (vertical, horizontal, and diagonal meeting at picturesque squares and roundabouts), as well as much of the architecture, reminds one of Paris! Vive Lafayette! Vive Washington! Vive La France! Vive Les Etats Unis!

By the way, if you're ever visiting the Washington area and want to see a little piece of French history, go to the completely restored Estates at Mount Vernon (GW's old stomping grounds!). There, on display, is one of the keys to the Bastille, given to Washington by his friend the Marquis de Lafayette, after the French Revolution. A little tidbit for you...

DaveBrad:

i believe that the regulation is that no building may be higher than the top of the Capitol Dome, not the Washington Monument.

Now, for those people who are REALLY in the know in this city the REAL law is that no building can be any higher than the Cairo.

I live in Washington DC and actually, it isn't true that it has a height restriction that hasn't changed in 100 years, and the Wash Monument doesn't have anything to do with it. It does have height restrictions on buildings but it varies a lot by the zoning standard for the location and street, and they've adjusted them at various times throughout the years. They raised them on Penn. Ave. at one time, I know that, which is why some buildings there are taller than they used to be (some of those big new office/apt buildings). The restrictions are related to public use and general aesthetics and city planning, which is nice, and very tall skyscrapers are not allowed, but it doesn't have anything to do with the Wash Monument. It was the Capitol building at one time when that law was first passed, I think, but has changed a lot since then.

Okay, I stand corrected...JEEZ! But, there IS a key to the Bastille at Mount Vernon...I've seen that! ;-)

Thanks for setting me straight again, Christina! D

LVMH did buy it and tried to make it into an upscale department store (shutting down its bricolage section) which made BHV more powerful in that section. It was closed down because it was a fire hazard.

They are now restoring it so it's up to standard. I think it's going to stay a department store.

There is a small section open to answer enquiries and the lady behind the desk said it's close for a couple more years.

By the way, the staff are being paid almost full wages for the year and half after from closing date.

The height restriction for buildings in Paris I think was passed by Andre Malraux in 1968.

On the topic of height restriction, the Paris building regulations provide that structures should not be taller than 37 metres. There were lapses in this policy in the 60's and 70's, and it can be seen especially in the outer arrondissement where rather plain-looking blocks of flats (apartment buildings) reach higher elevations than the classic Haussmann-era five (European) floors, which, in my opinion, damages the cityscape.

There is a present controversy at the City Hall about the desirability of allowing tall residential buildings in selected locations inside Paris. I am not against. Strangely, the Greens are opposed, as in my eyes, tall residential structures using limited space are more environment-friendly than suburban sprawl, single-family housing and the subsequent long commutes it generates.

A new, 300-metre office tower (the height of the Eiffel Tower) is planned for the business district of La Défense, just outside the city, designed by an US architect whose name I forgot.