Paris, France - Arcade Colbert. It disappears ender the pile of demolition. L'Illustration Journal Univerl owe it a memory, even a regret; this is nearby and besides, the ark which extended the Bibliotheque Imperiale equally offers its interest; it's a part of the history of Paris. The Rue Colbert was called Rue Mazarin. When the cardinal's personal library was relocated at the College des Quatre-Nations to which was bequeathed a part of the Palais Mazarin where it was remained empty. The Duke of Nevers, inheritor of the Cardinal Mazarin, did not use it and gave it to the Marquise de Lambert. Later she decided to build a hotel in which she spent a hundred thousand francs. She decided to put an arcade to the Colbert Street and above it her appartments which gathered the elegant society of the XVIIth century. It was considered as an important place, so influential that you had to be part of it. When the King wanted to move his medal cabinet to the Bibliotheque, it was thought that it would be the Marquise's habitation. But respecting her age and her influence, the project was suspended. When she died, the hotel was took over to a rich cabinet, considered as one of the most beautiful "salons" of the XVIIIth century, decorated with paintings of Boucher, Vanloo and Natoire. In 1741, the King's medals collection took place in this splendid gallery. On the night of February 16 to 17 of 1804, a hackney coachman stopped just under the arcade. The carriage carried a long pole used to mount the scaffold. A man jumped and climbed in the arch, entered the cabinet and took a part of the King's collection. From this robbery, the history of the arch is already written. Sixteen years after, on February 13th of 1820, its name linked to a crime. Indeed, Louvel was arrested after hitting the Dutch of Berry, near Porte de l'Opera. A street urchin boy who saw the scene grabbed the murderer under the arcade. Thus, time passed and the arcade was unfortunately not famous for its architecture but for its sordid stories. Finally, a man called Monsieur Lefevre lived there and had his bookstore on one of the walls where so many curious people and researchers came. Soon after Lefevre, his books, everything disappeared and what remained of the hotel were these appartments where lived l'Abb? Barth?l?my and the medal collection curators. XVIIth century cottage, hidden behind a high wall, where a carriage entrance opens to this rectory of archeology.