Francesca Cartier Brickell is a graduate in English literature from Oxford University, and a direct descendant of the Cartier family. She is a sought-after international lecturer on Cartier's illustrious history, and has given talks for major auction houses, museums, and societies. THE CARTIERS: The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewelry EmpireIn it, she describes how Cartier's iconic townhouse was exchanged in a barter for Cartier pearls — and rigorously redesigned.
"The new building is being transformed. The room dividers are being demolished, the ceiling full of holes, there is plaster all up the stairs but I am beginning to like our local future. We can start French luxury in New York!"Museum of the City of New York Pierre had shopped around for architects. He asked both Louis and his sister-in-law for advice . But eventually, he had selected a well-known American. William Welles Bosworth, who would go on to become a family friend, was instructed to create a store worthy of Cartier's distinguished clientele while maintaining a touch of the private house feel. The resulting store, Pierre insisted, must be attractive to American clients while remaining in keeping with the original Rue de la Paix showroom.
Edward Bell, his assistant, traveled the short distance between the old location and the new in Cartier's van, squeezed in between two police detectives on the front seat with boxes of jewels filling the back. Jules Glaenzer, meanwhile, drove a little car into which he miraculously crammed a heavy display case. The men arrived at the address at the allotted time, where several office staff were waiting to help them unload the items.