Théâtre de la Michodière

The street you're standing on, rue de la Michodière, didn't even exist until 1778. Before that, a grand 17th-century private palace stood here, the Hôtel de Lorges, owned by a marshal of Louis XIV. When they finally tore it down, the street appeared. And then, in 1925, the theater arrived, its Art Deco interior designed by the celebrated Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann, with seats for 800 people. Gorgeous stuff.

Now here's the funny part. The site had previously held a city gate from the time of Louis XIII. So before it was a palace, it was basically a toll booth. Paris has always had a flair for real estate upgrades.

Over the decades, legends like Yvonne Printemps and Pierre Fresnay performed here. The walls were plastered with posters of boulevard comedies. Owners came and went, money got tight, but the curtain never stayed down for long.

Today the Michodière still packs people in for classic French comedies. Some things in Paris, thankfully, refuse to change.