Fontgrande School Group à Saint-Benoît-de-Carmaux dans le Tarn

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Fontgrande school group, located in Saint-Benoît-de-Carmaux, was entirely designed and built by the Société des mines du Marquis de Solages between 1925 and 1935. This period marks an architectural revival of the school, driven by Charles Peres, director of the company, who was personally involved in the project. The building, built in two years by the Zublin establishments (specialised in reinforced concrete), was designed to accommodate 500 students, children of minors, and is distinguished by an exceptional quality of construction for this type of building.

The elements of the second work were preserved, demonstrating the rigour of its conception. The project was led by a Swiss company based in Strasbourg since 1898, stressing the importance attached to sustainability and technical innovation. The school group, inscribed in the Historical Monuments by order of 6 December 2016, includes both built and unbuilt parts, delimited on an annexed plan.

Today owned by the municipality, the site is located at the school esplanade in Tarn (Occitanie). Its architecture reflects the industrial and social history of the region, linked to mining, while illustrating the educational and technical advances of the inter-war period. The accuracy of its location is considered mediocre (note 5/10), but its official address remains the school esplanade in Saint-Benoît-de-Carmaux.

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