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Origin and history

The Beaucairois cellars, located in the district of Vaise in Lyon (9th arrondissement), are a former industrial building built between the 2nd half of the 19th century and the 1st quarter of the 20th century. Originally, this site served as a bottling plant for Guichard-Perrachon-Casino, a company specializing in the bottling of wines and mineral waters from southern France and Algeria, prior to their redistribution in the region. The building, with an area of 2,800 m2 and a height of 15 meters, is distinguished by its hybrid architecture blending gilded stone, cast cast iron and a laminated-glued wood frame reinforced by steel pulls, a technical innovation for the time.

The western facade, reinforced in the 1890s by architect Henri Feuga, illustrates the industrial evolution of the neighborhood. The structure, built before 1930 by Lelarge Frères, is based on cast iron poles incorporating a stormwater drainage system, releasing a remarkable interior volume. This system, combining iron and wood, allowed the removal of traditional foothills, providing an open space of 22.5 metres. The building, classified in the additional inventory of Historic Monuments in 2003, is one of the last testimonies of the industrial activity of Vaise, before its conversion to cinema Pathé in 2007.

Before the Beaucairois cellars, the site housed other industries, such as the Falcot, Mairet and Cie factory (1860–1928), specialized in measuring instruments and rockings, rewarded at the Universal Exhibition of 1867. The company became Falcot Frères and then Falcot and Charpentier, providing European railways before giving way to the Avery Scales and Scales in the 1930s, then to Guichard-Perrachon-Casino. The crisis of the 1930s marked a turning point, with the gradual abandonment of industrial activities in favour of wine logistics until the definitive closure in 1990.

The rehabilitation in 2007 by the Pathé group transformed the cellars into a multiplex of 14 rooms (2,600 seats), including a Dolby Cinema room (2017), while preserving the protected elements: facades, roofs and frame. This project, led by SA EuroPalace and the South Architects firm, allowed to reconcile modernity and heritage, while stressing the historical importance of the site. Registration for the Historical Monuments in 2003 recognizes both its architectural rarity and its role in Lyon's industrial history.

The building is located 43 rue des Docks, between the Saône and the Gare de Lyon-Vaise, in an area marked by its workers' past. Its natural ventilation system (wood and semicircular berries) and its five-span layout reflect the functional concerns of the time. Today, the Beaucairois cellars symbolize the urban metamorphosis of Vaise, where the industrial heritage dialogues with contemporary uses, while remaining a material witness to the economic changes of Lyon.

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