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School groups Jules Ferry de Maisons-Alfort dans le Val-de-Marne

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine urbain
École
Val-de-Marne

School groups Jules Ferry de Maisons-Alfort

    216bis-218 Rue Jean-Jaurès
    94700 Maisons-Alfort
Groupes scolaires Jules Ferry de Maisons-Alfort
Groupes scolaires Jules Ferry de Maisons-Alfort
Groupes scolaires Jules Ferry de Maisons-Alfort
Groupes scolaires Jules Ferry de Maisons-Alfort
Crédit photo : Auteur inconnu - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
vers 1927
Project launch
1932
Construction of Jules-Ferry
17 février 1935
Official Inauguration
19 juillet 1994
Condorcet protection
12 juillet 2002
Protection of Jules-Ferry
12 juin 2004
Commemorative plaque
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

As regards the former schools of girls and boys (current secondary and primary schools), 216bis, rue Jean-Jaurès: the facades and roofs of the schools of girls and boys, with the exception of those of the canteen built later in the courtyard of the present college, as well as the main staircase of each of the two schools, including the two paintings by Emile Beaume at the level of the first floor and the corridors of the ground floor, the first and second floors of the school of boys (Box BG 111); as regards the nursery school, 218, rue Jean-Jaurès: the facades and roofs, the preau, the refectory, the corridors of the ground floor and the first floor and the main staircase of the kindergarten (Box BG 112): inscription by order of 12 July 2002

Key figures

Léon Champion - Mayor of Maisons-Alfort Initiator of the school project.
André Dubreuil - Architect Co-designer of school groups.
Roger Hummel - Architect Co-conceptor, educational theorist.
Pierre Laval - Minister for Foreign Affairs Inaugurate schools in 1935.
Maurice Saulo - Sculptor, Rome price Author of the *Contes de Perrault* in bas-relief.
Gilbert Poillerat - Ironworks Creator of entrance gates.

Origin and history

The Jules-Ferry and Condorcet school groups of Maisons-Alfort were built in the 1930s to meet the population growth of the municipality. Initiated by Mayor Léon Champion around 1927, these projects entrusted their realization to architects André Dubreuil and Roger Hummel, second Grand Prix de Rome. Their conception is inspired by German and Dutch modernism, while integrating a classical spatial organization. The "shipboard"-style buildings are distinguished by their stalled volumes, window windows and terraces for outdoor activities.

The collaboration between artists and artisans marks these achievements: the ironworks of Schwartz-Hautmont, the ceramics of Boulenger, the stained glass windows of Pierre Lardin and Louis Barillet, and the frescoes of Émile Beaume and Gustave Nebel. Schools incorporate hygienist innovations, such as light classes and solariums, reflecting the pedagogical ideals of the time. Jules-Ferry, dressed in brick, is distinguished by his porch decorated with sculptures by Maurice Saulo illustrating the Contes de Perrault, while Condorcet, with its scarlet tower and clock visible more than a kilometre away, symbolizes bold modernity.

Inaugurated on February 17, 1935 by Pierre Laval and Léon Champion after five years of work (cost: 11 MF), these school groups become architectural models, published and admired. Their preservation led to an additional inventory of historical monuments: Condorcet in 1994 and Jules-Ferry in 2002. In 2004, a commemorative plaque honours Simone Aizic, deported, on the facade of Condorcet.

Roger Hummel summarized their philosophy in 1938: "The school of tomorrow will be healthy, joyful, friendly and cheerful," illustrating a break with the dark schools of the past. The vast courtyards, the basins (disused) and the historical frescoes of Condorcet, or the artistic grids of Jules-Ferry, bear witness to this educational and aesthetic ambition. These ensembles, covering 14,832 m2 (Condorcet) and 8,245 m2 (Jules-Ferry), remain emblems of the French modernist school heritage.

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