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Origin and history

The Guimard building of the Rome station, located boulevard des Batignolles in Paris (17th), is an access to the metro designed in 1900 by architect Hector Guimard for the Compagnie du Métropolitain. This Art Nouveau model, characteristic of the entrances of the Paris metro at the beginning of the 20th century, was inscribed in the historical monuments by order of 29 May 1978 and re-registered on 12 February 2016. It marked the entrance of a station opened on 6 November 1902, one month after the entry into service of the Star-Anvers section of Line 2 Nord.

Rome station, at the limit of the 8th and 17th arrondissements, owes its name to the proximity of the street of Rome, itself named with reference to the Italian capital. It is located in the neighbourhood of Europe, where many streets bear the names of European cities, such as Europe stations (line 3) or Liège (line 13). Its edicle, the only access to the station, is a vestige of the 167 original entrances designed by Guimard, of which only about sixty copies remain today.

The architecture of the Rome station reflects the technical constraints of its time: located under the ground-full of the boulevard des Batignolles, it rests on a metal deck supported by pedestals, without twin beams, because it does not support the weight of road vehicles. This apron is pierced by a well of central light, a peculiarity due to its surface position. The quays, of standard configuration (75 meters), are decorated with bevelled white ceramic tiles, typical of the metropolitan style, while the lighting was renovated in 2001 as part of the "Metro Renewal" program.

In 2019, the station temporarily adopted a humorous signpost ("They are crazy these Romans!") to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Asterix, reflecting its short name (4 letters), a rarity in the Parisian network. Although traffic fell during the crisis of the Covid-19 (1.4 million passengers in 2020 compared to 2.7 million in 2019), Rome remains a strategic access point, served by RATP buses 28, 30, 94 and the 66 line of the Nord de Seine.

The correspondence project with line 14, which was planned to de-naturalize line 13, was abandoned due to geological hazards (land piles). Nearby you will find the Grande Loge de France, the Reformed Church of the Batignolles, the Chaptal High School and the Hébertot Theatre, highlighting the cultural and historical anchor of this Parisian neighborhood.

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