Fondation de la Société Française Radioélectrique 1927 (≈ 1927)
Installation in Lyon of the owner company.
1929
Purchase by Pierre Laval
Purchase by Pierre Laval 1929 (≈ 1929)
Becoming the owner of the Company.
1935
Construction of the transmitter
Construction of the transmitter 1935 (≈ 1935)
Directed by Gabriel Deveraux in Dardilly.
1940-1944
Period *Radio Laval*
Period *Radio Laval* 1940-1944 (≈ 1942)
Name during German occupation.
1944
Requisition for Liberation
Requisition for Liberation 1944 (≈ 1944)
End of activities under German control.
16 janvier 1990
Partial protection
Partial protection 16 janvier 1990 (≈ 1990)
Registration of facades and basin.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Facades and roofs of the main building; basin; entry portal (Box BX 21): registration by order of 16 January 1990
Key figures
Gabriel Deveraux - Architect
Manufacturer of the temple-shaped building.
Pierre Laval - Owner (from 1929)
Politician associated with the station.
Origin and history
Dardilly's radio transmitter was established in 1935 for the Société Française Radioélectrique, a private Lyon company founded in 1927. Designed by architect Gabriel Deveraux, the building adopts an antique temple aesthetic to mitigate its industrial appearance. It housed on the ground floor electric converters and, upstairs, offices, a studio and a control desk. A decorative basin, integrated with a cooling circuit of emission lamps, completed the architectural ensemble.
During World War II, the station was renamed Radio Laval after Pierre Laval, a controversial political figure, became its owner in 1929. Upon Liberation, the transmitter was requisitioned and then abandoned. The 135-metre mast, which is now extinct, and the building, which is heavily degraded, only retain their facades, roofs, basins and gates, protected since a 1990 decree. The exact location at 43 Chemin de Traîne-Cul remains poorly documented despite approximate GPS coordinates.
The transmitter illustrates the golden age of private radio in France, marked by technical innovations and political stakes. Its decommissioning reflects the technological and ideological upheavals of the twentieth century, while its hybrid architecture reflects a desire to reconcile industrial functionality with landscape integration. The protected elements (façades, basin, portal) highlight its heritage value, although its current condition limits its accessibility.
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