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 l'Hôtel de Massa
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Modalities : Tours depart every 15 minutes for groups of 20. Register via the sign-up form (also available on the SGDL site)
* TOURS :
The authors who sit on the Committee of the Société des Gens de Lettres and the staff team invite you to a guided stroll through its salons and gardens. You will discover Art Deco furniture, a rich collection of busts of writers, and letters and manuscripts by authors from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as the gardens.
Come discover this “folly” originally erected on the Champs-Élysées in 1778-1779 by architect Le Boursier for Thiroux de Montsauge, then general administrator of the Posts: l'Hôtel de Massa, listed as a historical monument, was dismantled and rebuilt stone by stone in the shadow of the Paris Observatory between 1927 and 1928.
The Art Deco furniture designed in 1929 by Maurice Dufrène, head of the Lafayette Galleries’ Craftsmanship, to furnish this townhouse, is also listed.
Since 1929, l'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.
* Inscriptions :
* Valid for a single person (please share the link with your companions or register them yourself): HERE
* We close pre-registrations as soon as the tour slots are filled and we indicate this on the sign-up form. You will receive a confirmation email during the week of 14/9.
Participation requirements : Admission is free, but reservations are mandatory (subject to available space). Please arrive on time so we can welcome everyone properly. - Free | Reservation required - https://forms.gle/ma4ngjXux5xy2ATY8, https://passculture.app/offre/429567523
Hours : Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 10:00 AM to 6:00 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
