Château de Suresnes, Paris, France

Salomon von Rothschild (1774-1855) purchased the château de Suresnes in 1826 on an estate stretching along the banks of the Seine the other side from his daughter’s château de Boulogne.  It had been sold as state property during the Revolution and purchased by the Count de Lagarde who built a château there in the 19th century.  Here Salomon built a farm, turning the park over to agriculture.  Between 1832 and 1841 the architect Joseph-Antoine Froelicher built several conservatories using a completely new technique to produce exceptional exotic plants and fruits. 

During the revolutionary disturbances of 1848, the estate was pillaged, and although James, who inherited it from his brother, considered restoring it, he evidently thought better of it, and the house was taken down and the land sold off in 94 parcels after his death. James’ son Salomon retained land on the nearby Île de Puteaux, however, and built a model farm.