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Key figures

Origin and history

Bastille Substation is an industrial building located in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, at the corner of boulevard Bourdon, rue de l'Arsenal and rue de la Cerisaie. Designed to convert the electric current intended for the Parisian metro, it is distinguished by a beige brick facade masking a metallic structure, with a monumental arch and d-angle turrets evoking the neo-Roman style. Its architect, Paul Friesé, is inspired here by Germanic architecture in vogue at the beginning of the twentieth century, tempering the rigor of the lines by rounded details.

Built in 1911 by the Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris, the substation initially housed four switches transforming high voltage AC into low voltage DC. These machines, essential since the opening of the first metro line in 1900, have fed the network for half a century. Between 1967 and 1971, windows were pierced on Rue de la Cerisaie, partially changing its appearance.

Ranked a historic monument in 1992, the substation now retains a partial function for lines 1 and 5 of the metro, while preparing a conversion of its upper floors into event spaces (2024-2025). Its architecture, both utilitarian and stylized, bears witness to the importance attached to industrial aesthetics at the beginning of the 20th century, in an emblematic district of Paris.

Bastille substation is part of a network of similar protected buildings, such as Auteuil, Opéra or Temple. These infrastructures, once vital for the operation of the metro, illustrate the technological and urban evolution of Paris, between industrial heritage and contemporary adaptation.

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