Molinos was born in Lyon and studied in Paris at the Royal Academy of Architecture under Jacques-François Blondel.
The Halle aux blés (Corn Exchange), on the site of the present Bourse de commerce was designed by Nicolas Le Camus de Mézières with a circular central courtyard and a double staircase.
In 1782, François-Joseph Bélanger proposed to add an iron cupola to cover to courtyard, but his plan was rejected.
Instead, from 1782 to 1783, a wooden dome was built to a design by Jacques-Guillaume Legrand and Jacques Molinos based on the principles defined by Philibert de l'Orme.
[1] Molinos and Jacques-Guillaume Legrand collaborated on the design of the Théâtre Feydeau (1789–1790, destroyed 1829).