Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Ouen Municipal Sports Centre, located on Île des Vannes in L'Île-Saint-Denis, is a major sports complex built in the 3rd quarter of the 20th century. In 1955, the city of Saint-Ouen acquired land from the Menier settlements, formerly occupied by ragers near the Mahu Tower, an ancient building. As early as 1959, a preliminary project of omnisports palaces was deposited by architects Lucien Metrich and Anatole Kopp, but the works started only in 1968 under the direction of Pierre Chazanoff, Anatole Kopp and engineer René Sarger. The site, inaugurated in 1971, includes a large nave, a swimming pool, an outdoor stadium, a rowing club and a boulodrome.

The Grande Nef, the centrepiece of the complex, is distinguished by its inverted boat-shaped structure, covered by a hyperbolic paraboloid surface of 3,000 m2, supported by a mesh of cables stretched between two oblique arches. A post-war architectural symbol, it received the "Twentieth Century Heritage" label in 2007 and was included in the additional inventory of historical monuments. The site, originally designed for sporting and cultural events, hosts legendary concerts such as Pink Floyd (1972), Led Zeppelin (1973), or Queen (1982), as well as political events, including the 22nd Congress of the PCF in 1976.

In 2005, the nave was renamed a tribute to Lucien Belloni (1924–2000), a local figure committed to resistance, unionism and sports management in Saint-Ouen. Closed in 2018 for security reasons, its renovation was decided at the 2024 Olympic Games to make it a training site. Despite aborted projects such as basketball player Tony Parker's, the renovated nave was inaugurated in June 2025 to accommodate Metropolitan 92s. The adjoining swimming pool is planned for renovation by 2027 by Plaine Commune.

The complex, emblematic of modern architecture, is also highlighted in cinematographic works such as Break (2018) and the mini-series A Man of Honour (2021). Its bold design, inspired by the technical innovations of the time, makes it a major visual landmark for Saint-Ouen and Île-Saint-Denis. Today, it embodies both a converted industrial heritage and a place of cultural memory, between sporting heritage and significant artistic events.

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