Chateau de Maisons-Laffitte

Completed in 1651, for René de Longueil (1596-1667), Marquis de Maisons, and his wife (and with her money), Madeleine Boulenc de Crévecœur (1610-1636). It was designed by Francois Mansart (1598-1666) and is regarded as one of the finest examples of French Baroque architecture. In 1696, the academic and author, Charles Perrault (1628-1703), said: "the château de Maisons... is of such a singular beauty that there is not a curious foreigner who does not go there to see it, as one of the finest things that we have in France". It was acquired by the state in 1905. In America, among others, it has inspired Harbor Hill on New York's Long Island and Montreal's City Hall.