Élysée Montmartre
Élysée Montmartre is a historic Paris music and entertainment venue in Montmartre.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Élysée Montmartre is a historic entertainment venue at 72 Boulevard de Rochechouart in Paris's Montmartre district. Established as a ballroom in 1807, it became associated with nineteenth-century dancing and the can-can before evolving through several different entertainment formats. Its long history reflects the changing cultural life of northern Paris: the building was redecorated after a fire in 1900, later hosted boxing and professional wrestling, and became a recurring setting for French television wrestling coverage from the 1950s through the 1980s. The venue has also been part of Paris's literary, artistic, and popular-culture history. Guy de Maupassant's piece "The Mask" is set at the venue, while Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec produced paintings connected with the Élysée Montmartre. From the 1970s through the 1980s, the stage presented French and international performers including Patti Smith, Alain Souchon, and Jacques Higelin. Its role as a concert hall continued into the following decades, with performances and recordings by artists and groups such as Steel Pulse, David Bowie, Symphony X, Cradle of Filth, Counting Crows, and others. The ballroom function returned in 1995 through dance evenings accompanied by the venue's grand orchestra, but the Élysée Montmartre ultimately became best known as a live-music venue. Its programming has covered rock, metal, alternative music, reggae, chanson, and other popular genres. The room has a stated capacity of approximately 1,380 patrons, placing it between a large club and a mid-sized concert hall. The nearest Paris Métro station is Anvers. The building was severely damaged by fire on 22 March 2011, shortly after a Sonata Arctica performance on 16 March. It remained closed while the site was acquired in 2013 by Julien Labrousse and Abel Nahmias and rebuilt under Labrousse's direction. The restored venue reopened in September 2016 with a concert by Matthieu Chedid. In 2025, part of the building was converted into a hotel; the associated architectural project received ArchDaily's Building of the Year award that year. The Élysée Montmartre therefore operates both as a concert brand and as a historic Parisian cultural landmark, combining preserved heritage with contemporary live entertainment.
History
The Élysée Montmartre opened in Paris in 1807 as a ballroom. During the nineteenth century it became associated with social dancing and the can-can, helping establish its identity as a Montmartre entertainment venue. The building was affected by a fire in 1900 and subsequently redecorated. Its cultural significance also appears in literary and visual-art references: Maupassant placed "The Mask" at the venue, and Toulouse-Lautrec created paintings connected with the ballroom. After the Second World War, the Élysée Montmartre broadened its role by hosting boxing matches. It also became an important site for professional wrestling, with events regularly covered by French television from the 1950s through the 1980s. Wrestler, referee, and promoter Roger Delaporte owned the venue during this period and sold it to the production company Garance Productions in 1988. The venue's concert identity became especially visible from the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s, when its program included performers from France and abroad. Patti Smith, Alain Souchon, and Jacques Higelin were among the artists associated with this period. The ballroom tradition was revived in 1995 through dance evenings led by the Grand Orchestre de l'Élysée Montmartre, while the site increasingly operated as one of Paris's notable live-music venues. Its later history includes a substantial recording legacy. Steel Pulse recorded its 1992 live album "Rastafari Centennial – Live in Paris" at the venue. David Bowie's performance there on 14 October 1999 during the Hours Tour was filmed and recorded; material from the performance later appeared in edited form and was eventually issued as the live release "Something in the Air (Live Paris '99)". Symphony X recorded its first live album at the venue during a 2000 tour, and Cradle of Filth filmed its 2005 live DVD there. Counting Crows included a recording from a 9 December 1994 performance at the Élysée Montmartre in a later deluxe edition of its debut album. The venue is also referenced in The Roots' 1999 song "You Got Me." The building suffered a major fire on 22 March 2011. Sonata Arctica, whose concert on 16 March was the last performance before the fire, was the final band to perform there before the closure. Julien Labrousse and Abel Nahmias purchased the venue in 2013. Labrousse directed a complete rebuilding, after which the Élysée Montmartre reopened in September 2016 with a concert by Matthieu Chedid. The restored site retained its historic identity while returning to regular contemporary music programming. In 2025, part of the building was converted into a hotel, and the related architectural project won ArchDaily's Building of the Year award. The venue remains an active Paris concert destination with a capacity of about 1,380 people.
- 2025
Hotel conversion and architecture award
[1]Part of the building becomes a hotel, and the related project receives ArchDaily's Building of the Year award.
- 2016
Venue reopens
[1]The rebuilt Élysée Montmartre reopens in September with a concert by Matthieu Chedid.
- 2013
Acquisition and reconstruction begin
[1]Julien Labrousse and Abel Nahmias acquire the venue, with Labrousse directing its complete rebuilding.
- 2011
Fire forces closure
[1]A fire on 22 March severely damages the building and ends its operation at the historic site until reconstruction.
- 1995
Ballroom vocation is revived
[1]Dance evenings accompanied by the Grand Orchestre de l'Élysée Montmartre restore the venue's connection with dancing.
- 1988
Roger Delaporte sells the venue
[1]Roger Delaporte sells the venue to the production company Garance Productions.
- 1900
Building damaged and redecorated
[1]A fire damages the venue, which is subsequently redecorated.
- 1807
Ballroom opens
[1]The Élysée Montmartre begins operating as a Paris ballroom, later becoming associated with nineteenth-century dancing and the can-can.
Products and positioning
A historic Montmartre entertainment institution positioned as a distinctive Paris concert venue, combining nineteenth-century ballroom heritage with contemporary live music programming.
Music venue
Live concert programming
The venue's principal contemporary offering is a calendar of live concerts by French and international artists. Its programming has historically included rock, metal, reggae, alternative music, chanson, and other popular genres. With capacity for approximately 1,380 patrons, the room serves touring artists who need a larger space than a club but do not require an arena.
Dance and ballroom events · 1995
Dance evenings
Dance is part of the venue's original identity. In 1995, the Élysée Montmartre returned to its ballroom vocation with dance evenings accompanied by the Grand Orchestre de l'Élysée Montmartre, linking contemporary programming with the site's nineteenth-century history.
Event hosting
Venue hire
The Élysée Montmartre functions as an event space as well as a ticketed concert hall. Its historic interiors, central Paris location, and mid-sized capacity make it suitable for live performances and other entertainment-related uses, although the available reference material does not specify a full private-hire service portfolio.
Brand decisions
2025
Add hotel use to the buildingStrategyBackground
The historic property continued to combine cultural-venue functions with broader redevelopment opportunities.
Action taken
Part of the building was converted into a hotel.
Aftermath
The associated architectural project received ArchDaily's Building of the Year award.
2013
Rebuild the fire-damaged venueStrategyBackground
The venue had been closed after the March 2011 fire, ending its operation as a major Paris entertainment site.
Action taken
After acquiring the property, Julien Labrousse and Abel Nahmias pursued a complete reconstruction, directed by Labrousse.
Aftermath
The Élysée Montmartre reopened in September 2016 and resumed its role as a live-music venue.
Recent events
- 2025
Part of the building is converted into a hotel[1]
Other
A portion of the Élysée Montmartre building was converted into a hotel as part of a wider architectural project.
- 2025
Associated architectural project receives ArchDaily Building of the Year award[1]
Other
The architectural project connected with the building's 2025 hotel conversion received ArchDaily's Building of the Year award.
- 2016
Élysée Montmartre reopens after reconstruction[1]
Other
The rebuilt venue reopened in September 2016 with a concert by Matthieu Chedid.
- 2013
Venue acquired and rebuilt[1]
Other
Julien Labrousse and Abel Nahmias acquired the fire-damaged venue, and reconstruction proceeded under Labrousse's direction.
- 2011
Élysée Montmartre is damaged by fire[1]
Other
The venue caught fire on 22 March 2011, closing the historic building after a Sonata Arctica concert had been held there several days earlier.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/élysée-montmartre · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled