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Not far from where I live, looking somewhat out of place in the historic centre of Paris, stands this 1920s concrete building.
I& #39;ve often wondered what it was built for, but it& #39;s only today, after noticing building work there and an ominous sign from a demolitions company, that I took the time to look it up.
I wouldn& #39;t want to see it demolished. While it doesn& #39;t exactly blend into its surroundings, it& #39;s a nice building and looks to be of historical value.
It turns out it was built in the 1920s for a telephone exchange, designed by architect François Le Cœur. Here& #39;s a little history and some better photos than I managed: http://www.paris-promeneurs.com/Architecture-moderne/Le-central-telephonique-rue-des">https://www.paris-promeneurs.com/Architect...
The façade has been listed since 1999 and is therefore safe from demolition. So what& #39;s going on there?
https://monumentum.fr/central-telephonique-pa75030001.html">https://monumentum.fr/central-t...
https://monumentum.fr/central-telephonique-pa75030001.html">https://monumentum.fr/central-t...
All I could find about the building work there was this article: https://vivrelemarais.typepad.fr/blog/2017/12/logements-sociaux-et-population-marais.html">https://vivrelemarais.typepad.fr/blog/2017...
New mezzanine floors are being added and part of the building at the back is being demolished. The end result will be a mixed use building, with both offices and housing.
This neighbourhood has seen a population decline in recent years, driven partly by the conversion of housing into more profitable short term rental accommodation. But the author of the above piece isn& #39;t happy about the 29 new units of social housing.
Personally I& #39;m relieved this building will still be standing, and I think it& #39;s good that effort is being made to stem population decline in Le Marais, because I don& #39;t want to see the whole area turned into a hotel.
If this thread at all interested you, you might like my blog, http://fabricofparis.com"> http://fabricofparis.com . Now that I& #39;ve fallen down the rabbit hole of telephone exchange buildings, I& #39;ll probably post something about these soon. There are quite a few in Paris, each with its own history and future.
