Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Palais d'Orléans, located at 198 avenue du Maine in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, was built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally conceived as a large establishment for weddings and banquets, it also housed a cinema as early as 1910. Its architecture, marked by a facade inspired by the Italian Renaissance, was made by architect Henri-Joseph Lacarnoy in 1875. The site once occupied the site of a sheep market, called "sheep parquet" on the plans of 1860.

In 1916, the palace hosted a memorable banquet in honour of Guillaume Apollinaire, bringing together major figures of art and literature such as Picasso, Max Jacob, Pierre Reverdy and Blaise Cendrars. Their signatures, preserved on a sheet, bear witness to this event marked by the presence of a hundred artists and writers, including Raoul Dufy and Jean Cocteau.

From 1929, the building will house Collège Sainte-Marie du Maine, a school for girls founded by Madeleine Daniélou, until 1939. In 1948, he became the seat of the General Confederation of Labour - Labour Force (CGT-FO), playing a key role in the history of French unionism until 1996, when he moved. Although partially listed in the Historic Monuments in 1991 (registration cancelled in 1993), it was converted into a housing building in 1995.

Today, the Palace of Orleans is a private condominium, but its history reflects its cultural and trade union importance. Its interior decor, including the banquet hall, had been temporarily protected before the cancellation of this measure. The building remains a symbol of the urban and social transformations of Paris in the 20th century.

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