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Origin and history

The metro entrance to the Alexandre-Dumas station, designed by architect Hector Guimard, is part of the project to embellish the Parisian network at the very beginning of the 20th century. Commissioned in 1900 by the Paris Metropolitan Railway Company (CMP), it is one of the 167 accesses designed by Guimard, most of which were destroyed after the First World War. These works, combining iron, cast iron, glass and enamelled lava, mark the climax of Art Nouveau in France and become an emblem of the Parisian urban landscape.

Hector Guimard, although not a winner of the initial competition organized by the CMP in 1899, was chosen in obscure circumstances, perhaps thanks to the influence of Adrien Bénard, president of the Company and amateur of Art Nouveau. His project, chosen for its lightness and modularity, was realized in record time to be ready for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. The entrances, characterized by their candelabras in the form of "strands of muguet" and their "Metropolitan" signs with stylized lettering, broke with traditional models considered too cumbersome.

Guimard's edicles and entourage, although criticized for their style considered too exuberant, were gradually recognized as masterpieces. As early as the 1960s, an awareness of heritage led to the protection of 86 of 167 original works, including that of the Alexandre Dumas station. Today, these entrances, restored identically, embody the alliance between urban functionality and Art Nouveau aesthetics, while remaining a symbol of the Paris Belle Époque.

Alexandre Dumas station, located on line 2 of the Paris metro, was inaugurated in 1903. Its entrance, typical of the Guimard style, is distinguished by its cast iron portico decorated with orange red verrines and an enamelled sign. Although less monumental than the edicles of large stations such as Bastille or Star, it illustrates the standardization of secondary accesses, designed to integrate harmoniously into the urban fabric. The materials used – enamelled lava, iron and glass – reflect the industrial innovation of the time.

The protection of these entrances, notably through registration in the Historic Monuments in 1978, bears witness to their heritage value. Since the 1990s, RATP has undertaken restoration campaigns to preserve their authenticity, including original colours (green and orange) and decorative details. Today, these accesses, once threatened with disappearance, have become inseparable elements of the visual identity of Paris, celebrated both for their usefulness and for their artistic beauty.

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