The Multifaceted Architecture of the Cité Internationale in Paris

The Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris is a peaceful, 34-hectare campus in the 14th arrondissement tucked between the Parc Montsouris and the boulevard périphérique, a highway encircling Paris. The grounds are home to an incomparable complex of buildings, including 40 student residences. Three men—representing the State, the City and the University of Paris—officially chartered the Cité on June 7, 1921: André Honnorat, the short-lived Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts (1920-1921); Paul Appell, rector of the University of Paris (1920-1925); and Émile Deutsch de La Meurthe, an industrialist and philanthropist who donated 10 million gold francs to launch the project. Their ambitions were proportionate to the crisis brought about by a devastating war that claimed the lives of 1.5 million Frenchmen and created an unprecedented housing shortage. The Cité had three goals: to meet a critical need for student housing in Paris; to help restore the capital’s place as an international intellectual hub and center of learning; and…