Façade Renaissance (Rue Saint-Didier)

This almost square façade rises to three levels, each decorated with twin columns supporting a frieze. The superimposition of orders is conventional: Ionic on the first floor, Corinthian on the second floor and composite on the second. The frieze on the first level features an assortment of musical instruments and shields; the latter are inspired by those crowning the Gallo-Roman arch, a reminder of the extent to which the Renaissance drew inspiration from Antiquity. The first floor was transformed at the end of the 19th century, with the removal of the central portal in favor of a new carriage entrance set back in line with the street.