Ecole Militaire, Paris: Facade, Central École Militaire building

A vast complex of buildings housing various military training facilities located southeast of the Champ de Mars. It was founded by Louis XV in 1750 on the basis of a proposal of the financier Joseph Pâris (known as Duverney) with the support of Madame de Pompadour, with the aim of creating an academic college for cadet officers from poor families. Napoleon was a graduate. Like the Invalides 70 years earlier, it acted as a magnet for the development of the western extensions of the Rue St-Dominique and Rue de Grenelle on the Left Bank.