Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The site of the former park in the English of the Duke of Orléans at Raincy, created in the 18th century, was originally a vast landscaped estate of which today only one piece of water known as orangeware and some architectural factories remains. This park, partially located on the commune des Pavillons-sous-Bois, reflected the taste of elites for picturesque gardens inspired by English models, combining nature and fireworks with elements such as pavilions, a kennel or a barn later transformed into Saint-Louis church.

In 1944, the decision was taken to establish a high school there, originally designed as an annex to the Parisian high school Charlemagne. The project evolved to become an autonomous establishment in 1956, entrusted to architect Raymond Petit. It designs a 220-metre-long main building, suspended on a concrete platform, accompanied by a gymnasium, a refectory and staff accommodation. This modern high school, the Albert Schweitzer High School, is thus integrated into a site full of history, combining 18th century heritage and functionalist architecture of the mid-20th century.

The protections under the Historic Monuments are provided in two stages: a first decree in 1982 classifies the remains of the park (kennel, barn, clockhouse, gardener's house), and a second in 2002 extends the protection to the high school itself, including its grip on the ground, the main building, the gymnasium and orangery. These measures highlight the heritage value of an ensemble of historical landscapes and an emblematic educational achievement of Reconstruction.

Today, the site illustrates the superposition of the eras: the 18th century factories, such as the guardhouses or the water room, interact with Raymond Petit's brutalist architecture. The property of the site is shared between the state, the commune, private citizens and associations, reflecting its administrative complexity and its anchoring in the territory of the francilian.

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