Design of the column 1900 (≈ 1900)
Hector Guimard draws access to the subway.
17 décembre 1906
Opening of the station
Opening of the station 17 décembre 1906 (≈ 1906)
Opening with extension of line 5.
29 mai 1978
First protection
First protection 29 mai 1978 (≈ 1978)
Registration for historical monuments.
2007
Corridor renovation
Corridor renovation 2007 (≈ 2007)
Reopening of secondary access and modernization.
12 février 2016
Re-registration of the monument
Re-registration of the monument 12 février 2016 (≈ 2016)
Renewed protection for Guimard.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Hector Guimard - Architect
Designer of Art Nouveau in 1900.
François Richard-Lenoir - Industrial (1765-1839)
Tribute by the name of the boulevard.
Joseph Lenoir-Dufresne - Partner of François Richard
Co-founder of their textile manufacture.
Origin and history
The Guimard building of Richard-Lenoir station, located boulevard Richard-Lenoir in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, is an access to the metro designed in 1900 by the architect Hector Guimard for the Compagnie du Métropolitain. This monument, characteristic of the Art Nouveau style, was inscribed in historical monuments by decree of 29 May 1978 and re-registered on 12 February 2016. It marks the entrance to a station inaugurated in 1906 on line 5, between Oberkampf and Bréguet-Sabin.
Richard-Lenoir station owes its name to the boulevard under which it is established, paying tribute to François Richard-Lenoir (1765-1839), a manufacturer and partner of Joseph Lenoir-Dufresne. Their textile company, founded jointly, marked the 19th century French industry. The edicle, with its organic curves and wrought iron structures, symbolizes the aesthetic and technical innovation of the period, while integrating urban constraints (near the Saint Martin Canal tunnel).
Between 1974 and 1984, the station's docks were modernized in the "Andreu-Motte" style, with white tiles and green elements, partially erasing the original decor. In 2007, the corridors were renovated and the secondary access (Derval Balustrade) reopened, while the Guimard edicle, the only vestige of the original style, remains protected. The resort, frequented by more than 2 million travellers each year before 2020, is part of a mixed industrial history area (Saint-Martin channel), culture (Comédie Bastille) and contemporary memory (former headquarters of Charlie Hebdo).
The protection decree of 2016 covers all Guimard's remaining achievements for the Paris metro, highlighting the heritage value of these buildings. Richard-Lenoir's, located in front of no.65 of the boulevard, illustrates the collaboration between art and functionality in public transport. Its registration is in addition to that of the broader Guimard heritage, of which only one third of the stations retain original elements.
The surrounding area, marked by the Saint-Martin Canal and green spaces (Richard-Lenoir Square, Truillot Garden), reflects a mix of industrial heritage and contemporary urban life. The station, close to symbolic places such as the ENSCI school or the Louise-Talbot garden, also embodies preservation challenges in a changing metropolitan context.
