François Debret

François Debret
Born	27 June 1777 Paris
Died	19 February 1850 (aged 72) Saint-Cloud
Resting place	Père Lachaise Cemetery 48°51′43″N 2°23′39″E / 48.861944°N 2.394167°E
Nationality	French
Occupation	Architect

François Debret (27 June 1777 – 19 February 1850) was a French architect and Freemason.

Biography

François Debret was the son of Jacques Debret, criminal court clerk of the Parliament of Paris. He was the younger brother of Jean-Baptiste Debret and brother-in-law of fellow architect Felix Duban. Among his students and apprentices was Antoine-Nicolas Bailly.

He was the chief architect of the city of Paris and inspector general of civil buildings. He was responsible for the maintenance and repair of the Basilica of Saint-Denis. He was elected a member of the Academy of Fine Arts of the Institute of France in 1825.

In 1808, he married a sister of Felix Duban. Their son, Francis, born in 1809, graduated from the French Academy of Fine Arts.

Achievements

• Restoration of several theaters and buildings of the École des beaux-arts (1822-1832), set in the old musée des monuments français, founded in 1795 in the former Couvent des Petits Augustins, and closed by Louis XVIII in 1816. This work was continued by his brother-in-law Felix Duban.

Gallery of Works

• 
  Pavillon de Hanovre on the Boulevard des Italiens.
• 
  Salle Le Peletier, the Paris Opera from 1821 to 1873.
• 
  Transformable room for show, concert and dance, 1779.
• 
  Transformable room for show, concert and dance, 1799.