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Origin and history

The École nationale supérieure des arts et métiers de Lille was established by the law of 10 March 1881 under the leadership of the deputy Pierre Legrand, as part of the expansion of schools of arts and crafts in France. The first campus specifically designed for this institution, its construction, entrusted to architect Jules Batigny, began in 1885 after financial delays. The works, interrupted between 1888 and 1892 and marked by modifications of plans, led to a partial opening on 15 October 1900, in buildings still unfinished. The school was preceded by the centres of Châlons-en-Champagne (1806), Angers (1815) and Aix-en-Provence (1843), but was distinguished by its dedicated architecture.

During the First World War, the school was occupied by the German armies and turned into a military hospital, suffering damage during the bombings and explosion of the 18-bridge ammunition depot. It only reopened in 1919. During World War II, it was once again occupied by German troops from 1940 to 1944, disrupting its educational functioning. The restorations of the 1990s and 2000s preserved its architectural heritage, including glazed brick elements, tiled floors and original ceramics.

The school's architecture, inspired by the Roubaisian factories of the early 20th century, is characterized by a main building 120 meters long, organizing internal courtyards (honour courtyard, courtyards per year, central amphitheater). The monumental façade, adorned with a pediment carved by Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier, houses a gallery of ancestors with the busts of the founders and outstanding scientific figures, such as Monge or Laplace. The school also kept a Corliss steam engine from 1900, exposed to the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867.

Classified as an inventory of historical monuments in 1997, the school protects its facades, roofs, courtyards, galleries and workshops, as well as its boiler room and fireplace. Its official address, boulevard Louis-XIV, makes it a landmark of the Lille industrial heritage, served by Lille Grand Palais metro station. The site remains today a symbol of the technical and educational heritage of the Arts and Crafts, integrating modernity and historical preservation.

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