Construction of hospital 1965-1974 (≈ 1970)
Directed by Paul Nelson, student of Auguste Perret.
3 octobre 1996
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 3 octobre 1996 (≈ 1996)
Protection of facades, roofs and vents.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Fronts, roofs and vents on the ground (IS 44, 112): inscription by order of 3 October 1996
Key figures
Paul Nelson - Architect
Manufacturer of the hospital, student of Auguste Perret.
Origin and history
The Joseph Imbert Hospital, located in the Fourchon district of Arles, is an emblematic hospital centre of the 3rd quarter of the 20th century. Built between 1965 and 1974, it embodies the modern architecture of this period, marked by structural and functional innovations. Its inscription as a Historic Monument in 1996 underlines its heritage importance, particularly for its facades, roofs and ventilating mouths, elements protected by ministerial decree.
Paul Nelson, an American architect and former student of Auguste Perret, designed this building. His approach, influenced by modernism and functionalism, is reflected in the conception of the hospital, which breaks with traditional hospital models. The building thus illustrates the evolution of health infrastructure in France during the Thirty Glories, a period of reconstruction and modernization of the country.
The Joseph Imbert Hospital is now owned by a municipal public institution. Although its access to the public is not specified (visits, rentals or accommodation), its status as a Historic Monument makes it a major architectural testimony to urban planning and health policies of the second half of the 20th century in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
