Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Freyssinet Hall was built between 1927 and 1929 by the engineer Eugène Freyssinet for the Compagnie du Paris-Orléans in order to respond to the increase in freight traffic at the Austerlitz station. This industrial building, characterized by its three vibrated concrete vaulted naves and lateral awnings, embodies a major technical innovation for the time. Its thin cylindrical vaults (7 cm thick) and horizontal pulls, combined with a light structure, give it a rare architectural elegance for a utility work. The 310-metre-long hall was equipped with five railway tracks and designed to optimize transshipment operations between trains and trucks.

From its inauguration in March 1929, the Freyssinet Hall was hailed by the specialized press for its technical and aesthetic quality. It inspires other projects, such as the covered market in Nantes (1936) or military constructions, and becomes a reference in engineering courses. Operated by the Sernam until 2006, it was then threatened with demolition as part of the Paris Rive Gauche urban project. Saved by the mobilisation of heritage associations (such as Sites & Monuments or SOS Paris), it was listed as a historical monument in February 2012, excluding its north-west offices.

Between 2011 and 2017, the hall underwent a major reconversion. First used for cultural events and fashion shows under the impulse of Bernard Jaulin, it is finally transformed into Station F by Xavier Niel. Inaugurated in June 2017, this 34,000 m2 campus becomes the world's largest startup incubator, combining coworking spaces, restaurant and places dedicated to digital innovation. The original structure, preserved despite the modifications, now bears witness to the adaptability of the industrial heritage.

At the same time, a twin hall built in 1928 near the Amiens station, also designed by Freyssinet, is being rehabilitated (2022–2024) to accommodate cultural, sports and commercial activities. These two works illustrate Freyssinet's lasting legacy, whose techniques (such as prestressed concrete) marked the architecture of the twentieth century. The Paris Hall, now a symbol of French technology, remains a unique example of the successful rehabilitation of an industrial monument.

The building, accessible via Chevaleret metro stations (line 6) and Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand (line 14), is integrated into the changing Paris Rive Gauche area. Its history reflects tensions between heritage preservation and urban pressure, as well as the ability of industrial buildings to reinvent themselves to meet contemporary needs.

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