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Origin and history

The Saint-Lazare station, located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, is the first station built in Île-de-France since 1837. Originally conceived as a temporary wooden dock on Europe Square, it is rapidly evolving to become a major terminus of the western railway network. Its development was marked by several phases of construction and expansion, notably under the direction of architects Alfred Armand and Eugène Flachat, then Juste Lisch from 1885. The railway station then acquires its present appearance, with an imposing facade and infrastructures adapted to increasing traffic.

In 1837, the temporary station of the Place de l ́Europe welcomed the first convoy of the railway from Paris to Pecq. Despite initial plans to establish Place de la Madeleine, the opposition of the residents led to its final installation on Rue Saint-Lazare. The works spanned from 1842 to 1853, with hausmannian-style architecture, facades decorated with Corinthian capitals and quays covered by large structures. In 1867, the station, which became the largest in Paris with 25 million annual passengers, was expanded for the Universal Exhibition.

The Saint-Lazare station underwent major modernization between 1885 and 1889, with the construction of the current "U"-shaped building and the development of the Cour du Havre. The tracks go from 4 to 6 in the front station, and a Terminus hotel (now Hilton Paris Opéra) is built, connected to the station by a covered walkway. In 1900, marquises were installed, and in 1905 the metro arrived, imposing new developments. The station, marked by incidents such as the 1908 riot or the explosion of a shell in 1918, saw its traffic evolve with the progressive electrification of the network from the 1920s.

In the 20th century, the Saint-Lazare station became a symbol of railway modernity, inspiring artists like Claude Monet, who painted a series of paintings there in 1877. Despite aborted underground station projects, it remains a major hub for the Paris suburbs and Normandy, with a traffic of 450,000 daily travellers in the early 2000s. Between 2003 and 2012, the programme "Tomorrow Saint-Lazare" modernises its infrastructure, transforming the hall of the lost into a shopping centre and improving connections with public transport.

The station is also a cultural place, hosting exhibitions, concerts and art works such as Arman's Accumulations. In 2021, it was to house the Art Play Museum, the world's first museum dedicated to creative industries. Today, the Saint-Lazare station, classified as a historic monument since 1984, remains an emblematic place, mixing architectural heritage, railway history and daily life in Paris.

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