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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Hauts-de-France
  4. Aisne
  5. 02700 Tergnier

  6. Place Carnegie de Fargniers

Place Carnegie de Fargniers à Tergnier dans l'Aisne

Aisne

Place Carnegie de Fargniers

    3 Place Carnegie
    02700 Tergnier
Photo de Place Carnegie de Fargniers
Crédit photo : Frédéric DE LA VIUDA - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1918
Reconstruction project
1922
Carnegie financing
1922-1928
Construction of the square
1998
Partial protection
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The following buildings of the square: the entire city hall; the entire old municipal hall; the facades and roofs of the former post office, the pump building, the nursery school, the former girls' school and the former boys' school, the former kindergarten teachers' pavilion, the former teachers' house and that of teachers, the Carnegie Home, the former dispensary; the monument to Andrew Carnegie in the centre of the square (cad. 300 AK 119, 121 to 123, 126, 128, 331 to 334): inscription by order of 1 December 1998

Key figures

Andrew Carnegie - Industrial and patronial Financer of reconstruction via its endowment.
Henri-Paul Nénot - Architect Co-conceptor of Carnegie Square.
Paul Bigot - Architect Co-author of the project, architect of the Grand Palais.

Origin and history

Place Carnegie de Fargniers, located in Tergnier, Hauts-de-France, is a reconstruction project born after the First World War. In 1918, the municipality, with a 95% disaster, planned a radio-concentric plan that would include communal buildings around a central square. This ambitious project aims to restore an urban and social structure to a city devastated by the conflict.

In 1922, the Trusteees de la Dotation Carnegie – an institution created in 1910 by American industrialist Andrew Carnegie to help rebuild war-ravaged areas – allocated $150,000 to Fargniers. The architects Henri-Paul Nénot (known for his work at the Sorbonne) and Paul Bigot (architect of the Grand Palais) then designed a harmonious ensemble integrating town hall, schools, post office, Carnegie fireplace, public baths, and green spaces. Work began in the same year and ended in 1928.

The architectural ensemble of Carnegie Square reflects a mixture of regionalist references and Anglo-Saxon influences, symbolizing both local identity and international generosity. At the centre is a monument dedicated to Andrew Carnegie, while buildings, such as city halls or old schools, have been partially protected since 1998. This space, both practical and symbolic, embodies the resilience of a community and its renewal after destruction.

Property is now shared between the municipality, the department of Aisne, and private actors. Some buildings, such as the Carnegie Foyer or schools, still bear witness to their original vocation, while others may have evolved. The square remains an emblematic place of Tergnier, recalling both the ravages of war and the hope of reconstruction.

External links

Page Monumentum