Across the boulevard, on the northern side, there is a group of buildings, one of whom collapsed during its construction in January 1964, killing at least 20 people and injuring at least 18.

The French war department had completed the Thiers wall – including fortifications, a dry moat, a Rue Militaire and a large berm – around 1840.

The Thiers wall, with its accompanying berm and moat, led to a profound disruption and complication of the synergistic relationship between Paris and its suburbs.

On March 2, 1864, the boulevard was named after François Joseph Lefebvre (1755-1820), Duke of Dantzig and Marshal of France.

The Boulevards of the Marshals concept was almost fully realized by 1932, though the final three sections, closing the ring, would not be completed until 2005.