The Heritage Days set our calendars every year for the third weekend of September, a time to soak up rich cultural discoveries. This year, the cultural event returns for its 43rd edition in Paris and Île-de-France on 19 and 20 September 2026. It’s a golden opportunity for both enthusiasts and the curious to delve into the fabulous patrimony of Paris and the Île-de-France region through a broad lineup of often free visits and special activities hosted at museums, monuments, churches, hospitals, institutions and even in venues that are normally closed to the public!
For this edition, theHôtel de Massa, headquarters of the Société des Gens de Lettres, invites us to discover its history! Built between 1778 and 1784 on the Champs-Elysées by the architect Le Boursier, this private mansion was originally a "folie", or pleasure house, a country resort on the Champs-Elysées promenade, which became fashionable at the end of the 18th century.
When the 1926 president of Galeries Lafayette wanted to buy the land to build a large shopping complex, the building was in danger of being demolished. The solution? Move the building, stone by stone, to the 14th arrondissement and a plot of land in the Observatoire gardens, in order to save the structure. In 47 days, the 2,480 stones were numbered piece by piece and row by row, and then, from January to October 1928, the work kept Paris on its toes!
In 1929, the Société des Gens de Lettres, a society founded in 1838 by famous writers including Balzac, Hugo, Dumas and Sand, moved in. Today, the Hôtel de Massa's treasures include Art Deco furniture (commissioned in 1928 from the Maîtrise des Galeries Lafayette), a listed historic monument unique in France, as well as a collection of writers' busts (19th and 20th centuries) and letters and manuscripts by authors who have marked the history of the Société des Gens de Lettres.
Guided Tour
Guided Tours of the Hôtel de Massa
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* Details: Tours depart every 15 minutes for groups of up to 25 people. Registration opens on August 31, 2026 (also via the SGDL website).
* TOURS:
Authors who are members of the Committee of the Société des Gens de Lettres and the staff team invite you to a guided tour through its salons and gardens. You'll discover Art Deco furnishings, a rich collection of busts of writers, and letters and manuscripts by 19th- and 20th-century authors, as well as the gardens.
Come and explore this "folly" originally rising on the Champs-Élysées in 1778-1779, designed by architect Le Boursier for Thiroux de Montsauge, who was then the general administrator of the Posts: the Hôtel de Massa, listed as a historic monument, was dismantled and rebuilt piece by piece beneath the Paris Observatory between 1927 and 1928.
The Art Deco furniture designed in 1929 by Maurice Dufrène, head of the Lafayette Galleries’ Workshop, to furnish this townhouse, is also listed.
Since 1929, Hôtel de Massa has housed the Société des Gens de Lettres (SGDL), founded in 1838 by Honoré de Balzac, Alexandre Dumas, Théophile Gautier, Victor Hugo, and George Sand.
* Registrations:
* Registration opens on August 31, 2026
* We close pre-registrations as soon as all time slots are filled and will indicate this on the registration form. A confirmation email will be sent in the week of September 14.
Conditions de participation : Participation is free, with advance booking required (subject to availability). Please arrive on time so we can welcome everyone properly. - Free | Booking required - https://passculture.app/offre/429567523
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Dates and Opening Time
On September 19, 2026
Location
Hotel de Massa
38 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques
75014 Paris 14
Route planner
Prices
Free
Official website
www.sgdl.org
