Built in 1873, on the former site of the convent des Recollets, it was designed by the architect Léon Suys. Rodin collaborated on the exterior decoration of the building as an employee of Carrier-Belleuse. While the former became a famous sculptor, the latter is a name familiar only to specialists now. Of neoclassical inspiration, its simplicity is broken by very ornate decorations that have been described by some people as baroque excesses.