sentences:  The house has been the property of the French government since 1972.Its history dates back to June 15, 1869, when Baron Gustave de Rothschild paid the Duchesse de Bauffremont 2,700,000 francs for two town houses, at 21 Avenue Marigny and 14 Rue du Cirque, with a total floorspace of approximately .In 1872, the Baron decided to combine the two buildings into a single property and to erect additional buildings on part of the site.