Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building at 7 rue de Tretaigne, located in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, is an emblematic example of workers' housing built in the early 20th century. Built in 1903, it embodies the hygienist and social principles of the time, with bold architecture combining apparent reinforced concrete, bowl-windows and a roof-terrace built in hanging garden. This building marks a break with the unsanitary houses of the industrial era, integrating common spaces such as a library, a conference room or shower-baths.

Designed by architects Henri Sauvage and Charles Sarazin for the Société anonyme des logements sanitaires à pauvre (HBM), the project is carried administratively by Frantz Jourdain, architect and company delegate. His building permit, signed by the latter, attests to his key role in the realization. The building, a prototype of future social housing in Paris between the two wars, is also distinguished by its cooperative shop and collective restaurant, reflecting a desire to improve the living conditions of the popular classes.

Partially classified as historical monuments in 1986 (fall and stairwell), the building illustrates the architectural and social innovation of the early twentieth century. Its revolutionary reinforced concrete structure and shared equipment make it a model for future public housing policies. Today owned by a private company, there remains a tangible testimony of the urbanist and hygienist utopias of his time.

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