Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The central halls of Reims, also known as the Boulingrin Halls, were built between 1927 and 1929 to replace the old market destroyed during the First World War. The project, which was selected after a competition in 1923, was led by architect Émile Maigrot and engineer Eugène Freyssinet, who applied an innovative process of "shaping-out on sliding hanger". Inaugurated in 1929, they housed a wholesale and retail market, organized into three distinct areas: a high walk, an elevated space for the wholesale market, and an open central part.

By 1930, structural problems had arisen, with leaks and concrete falls requiring repairs, including a protective grill installed in 1959. Despite Freyssinet's expertise in 1957 pointing to premature aging, the halls resisted World War II. Disused in 1988 for security reasons, they were rescued in extremis by a ranking at the Historic Monuments in 1990, thanks to popular mobilization and the intervention of Minister Jack Lang.

The renovation, launched in 2010 at a cost of EUR 31 million, is designed to restore their original appearance while strengthening the structure. The work, completed in 2012, allowed to resettle the weekly market (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday) and add cultural activities (exhibitions, concerts). The project was awarded the European Union Cultural Heritage Award in 2015. Preventive excavations carried out during the works also revealed the medieval gate of Mars, bearing witness to the ancient history of the site.

Architecturally, the halls are distinguished by their parabolic concrete structure of 19.85 meters high, supported by external carrying walls laid on 274 piles. The accesses, marked by two longitudinal portals and four side doors named after local rivers (Suippe, Marne, Vesle, Aisne), are treated in polished cement green water. The interior, illuminated by bay windows with yellow light, inspired the covered market of Villefranche-sur-Saône.

Symbol of the reconstruction of Reims after 1918, the halls illustrate the technical audacity of the 1920s and the desire for modernity of a city marked by war. Their rescue and rehabilitation in the 21st century makes it an emblematic place, combining industrial heritage, commercial life and cultural activities.

Future

The restoration of the central halls of Boulingrin was awarded the European Union Cultural Heritage Award 2015 by the European Commission and Europa Nostra.

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