Nicolas Le Camus de Mézières

Nicolas Le Camus de Mézières (March 26, 1721 – July 27, 1789) was a French architect and theoretician. He was born and died in Paris. He published several works on architectural and related subjects, including Architecture of Expression, and The Theatre of Desire at the End of the Ancien Régime; Or, The Analogy of Fiction with Architectural Innovation.

Le Camus designed the Halle aux blés (Corn Exchange) with a circular central courtyard and a double staircase. The layout of that building has been retained in the present Bourse de commerce. Le Camus developed a theory of architecture in which the character of a building should express its destination or the social status of its client. Unlike previous character theories in architecture, Le Camus's theory was based on an explicit analogy between architecture and theatre. His architectural mode of expression followed a temporal progression similar to the dramatic unfolding of a play, and gradations in ornamentation throughout the interior of a building resembled a succession of stage sets in a theatrical performance.

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