Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Carnation Manufacture, located on Rue Raspail in Ivry-sur-Seine, was founded by the Bac family, initially specialized in the manufacture of plum holders and pens in Paris in 1832. In 1856, the family moved to Ivry, then in 1890, Charles Bac launched the construction of the factory, including a large hall and a guardhouse. The factory, employing 245 employees in 1895, devoted itself to the production of metal eyelets after 1904, becoming a subsidiary of the American multinational United Shoe in 1905.

In 1913, engineer Paul Sée led an avant-garde expansion inspired by the American Daylight Factory model, focusing on light and ventilation for workers. The building, with its glass facades and four free floors, marks a break with regional industrial architecture. After extensions in 1924 and bombings in 1944, the site declined from the 1980s, before being partially converted into cultural and educational spaces, such as the EPSAA (Professional School of Graphic Arts) in 2001.

Since 1996, the lobby, the American building and the guardhouse have been included in the additional inventory of historic monuments. In 2009, the city of Ivry acquired the site to install the National Drama Centre of Val-de-Marne (2015) and Crédac (2011), while preserving its industrial heritage. The Manufacture thus symbolizes the transition between the industrial era and contemporary cultural rehabilitation.

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