First designed by American landscape architect Dan Kiley in 1972, this 7-hectare garden initially featured a uniform layout of gridded landscape sections, in a nod to the work of French landscape architect André Le Nôtre. The 450 plane and linden trees currently standing throughout the space demonstrate that on-structure plantings can thrive in the long-term when appropriate engineering techniques are used. 50 years on from its initial design, the public space was overrun with hardscape features. This transformation revitalizes the uniformity and beauty of Kiley’s gridded composition. The redesign simplifies topography, increases soil depth in certain areas, and adapts water features, all in accordance with the technical constraints of the underlying slab structure. New layers of greenery enrich, enhance, and expand the existing vegetation. The rewilded landscape balances rigorous classicism and contemporary naturalism. The lushly planted Esplanade has now cemented its status as the third great garden along this historic boulevard, joining the Jardin des Tuileries and Jardins des Champs-Élysées gardens.