The Changing Face of the Second Empire

In the 1860s and 70s, there was an architectural style that took the world by storm.

It was called “Second Empire”, named after the French Second Empire of Napoleon III’s reign as Emperor of France (1852-70).

Read more …
Napoleon III by Alexandre Cabanel, 1865
Napoleon III by Alexandre Cabanel, 1865

Napoleon III wasn’t just the emperor of France during the Second Empire, he was its chief architect. Under his ambitious vision, Paris underwent a dramatic transformation, replacing medieval alleys with wide avenues and grand buildings adorned in a new style, aptly named the “Second Empire.” Napoleon III not only championed this eclectic blend of Renaissance, Baroque, and contemporary elements, but actively fostered its development by commissioning iconic projects like the Palais Garnier opera house and the Louvre extension. He saw architecture as a tool for both national prestige and social welfare, showcasing France’s power while providing much-needed jobs and housing. So, while talented architects like Hector Lefuel crafted the finer details, it was Napoleon III’s grand vision and unwavering support that truly molded the Second Empire’s architectural aesthetic, leaving a lasting legacy of opulent beauty and urban grandeur.

Period paintings give us an idea of what Paris was like during the French Second Empire.

Music in the Tuileries Gardens, by Edouard Manet (1862). The parks of Paris, particularly the Tuileries gardens and the new Bois de Boulogne, provided entertainment and relaxation for all classes of Parisians during the Second Empire.
Music in the Tuileries Gardens, by Edouard Manet (1862). The parks of Paris, particularly the Tuileries gardens and the new Bois de Boulogne, provided entertainment and relaxation for all classes of Parisians during the Second Empire.
Party night at the Tuileries, June 10, 1867 by Pierre Tetar van Elven, 1867.
Party night at the Tuileries, June 10, 1867 by Pierre Tetar van Elven, 1867.
The Avenue de l'Opera, one of the new boulevards created by Napoleon III. The new buildings on the boulevards were required to be all of the same height and same basic façade design, and all faced with cream-hued stone, giving the city center its distinctive harmony.
The Avenue de l’Opera, one of the new boulevards created by Napoleon III. The new buildings on the boulevards were required to be all of the same height and same basic façade design, and all faced with cream-hued stone, giving the city center its distinctive harmony.

And the opulent interiors hark back to an age of extravagance.

The Grand Foyer of the Opera Garnier, Paris. Image credit Degrémont Anthony.
The Grand Foyer of the Opera Garnier, Paris. Image credit Degrémont Anthony.
The Salon doré (Golden Room), office of the President of the French Republic. Image credit Chatsam.
The Salon doré (Golden Room), office of the President of the French Republic. Image credit Chatsam.
Second Empire style Grand Salon in the Apartements of Napoléon III, Louvre palace.
Second Empire style Grand Salon in the Apartements of Napoléon III, Louvre palace.

The Second Empire style was characterized by a multifarious mix of earlier European styles—particularly Baroque—often having mansard roofs and square based domes.

An abundance of Neo-Baroque decorative elements on the south façade of the Opéra Garnier in Paris, France. Image credit Paris16
An abundance of Neo-Baroque decorative elements on the south façade of the Opéra Garnier in Paris, France. Image credit Paris16
Roof detail of a Second Empire style house in Salem, Massachusetts
Mansard roof detail of a Second Empire style house in Salem, Massachusetts
A square-based domes tops the Mitchell Building, an 1876 office building, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Image credit Kenneth C. Zirkel
A square-based dome tops the Mitchell Building—an 1876 office building, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Image credit Kenneth C. Zirkel

Second Empire could be easily scaled, making it good for a variety of municipal and corporate buildings.

The Élysée Palace (Official residence of the President of France since 1848). Image credit Remi Mathis.
The Élysée Palace (Official residence of the President of France since 1848). Image credit Remi Mathis.
Baltimore City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland. Complete 1875
Baltimore City Hall, Baltimore, Maryland. Completed 1875
Alfred B. Mullett's former State, War and Navy Building, Washington, D.C., begun during the Grant administration and built between 1871 and 1888.
Alfred B. Mullett’s former State, War and Navy Building, Washington, D.C., begun during the Grant administration and built between 1871 and 1888.
Central Post Office, Buenos Aires, Argentina (1909 - 1928). Image Credit Albano Azarian.
Central Post Office, Buenos Aires, Argentina (1909 – 1928). Image Credit Albano Azarian.
Facade of the Brussels Stock Exchange, Belgium. Built 1873. Image credit Ben2.
Facade of the Brussels Stock Exchange, Belgium. Built 1873. Image credit Ben2.
Mansard rooftops along Boulevard Haussmann in Paris constructed during the Second French Empire. Image credit Thierry Bézecourt.
Mansard rooftops along Boulevard Haussmann in Paris constructed during the Second French Empire. Image credit Thierry Bézecourt.
Caldwell County Courthouse, Lockhart, Texas. Built 1894. Image credit CMBJ.
Caldwell County Courthouse, Lockhart, Texas. Built 1894. Image credit CMBJ.

The style spread throughout Europe and across to the United States, where the tower and mansard roof were often the most notable Second Empire elements.

Cresting around the roof and tower became a popular decoration in the US and sometimes acted as a lightning conductor.

Ornate creasting across the roof of Glanmore Mansion was completed in 1883 for John Philpot Curran Phillips. Image credit Bill Badzo, flickr.
Ornate cresting across the roof of Glanmore Mansion was completed in 1883 for John Philpot Curran Phillips. Image credit Bill Badzo, flickr.
Cresting around the mansard-roofed tower of the Joseph R. Bodwell House, Hallowell, Maine. Built 1865. Image credit Taoab.
Cresting around just the tower of the Joseph R. Bodwell House, Hallowell, Maine. Built 1865. Image credit Taoab.

Made of wood, brick or stone, elaborate examples often had paired columns as well as sculpted details around the doors, windows, and dormers.

Heck-Andrews House in Raleigh, North Carolina, completed in 1870.
Heck-Andrews House in Raleigh, North Carolina, completed in 1870.

For the nouveau riche, the opulent Second Empire style was the perfect choice to express their new found wealth.

But by the 1880’s, it started to fall out of favor. In came the Queen Anne style, with its wraparound porches, round towers, overhanging eaves and painted balustrades.

By the mid-20th century, thousands of Second Empire homes were demolished in sweeping urban renewal programs.

Instead of harking back to a glorious age, the style became associated with horror thanks to TV shows like the Addams Family and the 1960 movie Psycho.

The above content contains Amazon affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Thanks for supporting our work.

The Psycho set on the Universal lot, featuring a Ford Custom 300 similar to that driven by Janet Leigh in the film.
The Psycho set on the Universal Studios lot, featuring a Ford Custom 300 similar to that driven by Janet Leigh in the film.

Today, Second Empire is comparatively rare, but some outstanding examples live on as reminders of a glorious bygone era.

Shard Villa (The Columbus Smith Estate) Salisbury, Vermont. Completed 1874. Image credit Don Shall.
Shard Villa (The Columbus Smith Estate) Salisbury, Vermont. Completed 1874. Image credit Don Shall.
The Second Empire style Hegeler Carus Mansion on Seventh Street in LaSalle, Illinois. Image credit Terence Faircloth, flickr
The Second Empire style Hegeler Carus Mansion on Seventh Street in LaSalle, Illinois. Image credit Terence Faircloth, flickr
Second Empire in St John, New Brunswick, Canada. Formerly known as Earl House and built in 1870.. Image credit Julien Duguay
Second Empire in St John, New Brunswick, Canada. Formerly known as Earl House and built in 1870.. Image credit Julien Duguay
North Adams Public Library (North Adams, Massachusetts). Built in 1865 for Sanford Blackinton. Image credit C Hanchey, flickr.
North Adams Public Library (North Adams, Massachusetts). Built in 1865 for Sanford Blackinton. Image credit C Hanchey, flickr.
Glen Auburn, Second Empire in Natchez, MIssissippi. Credit Tom Barnes.
Glen Auburn, Second Empire in Natchez, MIssissippi. Credit Elisa.rolle.
George Wise House/Bibber Memorial Chapel, Kennebunk, ME. Built 1868. Photo credit Doug Copeland, flickr.
George Wise House/Bibber Memorial Chapel, Kennebunk, ME. Built 1868. Photo credit Doug Copeland, flickr.
Bossler Mansion, St. Anne's Hill, Dayton, Ohio. Circa 1870s. Image credit Bossler Mansion on Facebook.
Bossler Mansion, St. Anne’s Hill, Dayton, Ohio. Circa 1870s. Image credit Bossler Mansion on Facebook.

Music of the Second Empire

Jacques Offenbach became known for his operettas satirising the French court of Napoleon III during the Second Empire. But it was good-natured and Napoleon so enjoyed it that he personally granted Offenbach French citizenship and the Légion d’Honneur.

“Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour,” Jacques Offenbach’s iconic aria from the opera “Les contes d’Hoffmann,” resonates far beyond the stage. Composed in 1881, just one year after the fall of the Second Empire, it carries whispers of the era’s opulent excess and fleeting pleasures. The song’s dreamy waltz rhythm and melancholic lyrics – “fleeting time doth ne’er return, but bears on wings our dreaming” – echo the Second Empire’s own bittersweet legacy. Just as the glittering reign of Napoleon III crumbled under political turmoil, leaving behind a nation grappling with change, “Belle nuit” celebrates a love both passionate and transitory, a mirror to the empire’s own ephemeral grandeur. Its popularity in the years following the empire’s demise suggests a yearning for lost romance and escapism, a nostalgic ode to a bygone era even as France moved towards a new republic. Thus, “Belle nuit” holds a unique position, acting as both a lament for the Second Empire and a timeless expression of love’s bittersweet beauty.