Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The pharmaceutical factory of Dr. Pierre, nicknamed "Château de Nanterre", is a rare example of industrial architecture in France conceived as a private building. Built in 1900 by architect Albert Aubert, it is distinguished by its facade in red brick, stone and ceramic, decorated with cabochons and a central dome. Oriented along the Paris-Saint-Lazare/Saint-Germain-en-Laye railway, it aimed at maximum visibility to promote the brand of Doctor Pierre, specialized in toothpaste products based on mint alcohol.

Founded in 1837 in Asnières-sur-Seine by Dr. Pierre Mussot, the company was taken over in 1860 by his niece Pauline and his husband Charles Alexandre Hubert Chouët, who developed it under the brand Dr. Pierre. The move to Nanterre in 1900 is explained by the need for space and the proximity of the station. The site then included 80 hectares of peppermint crops, a self-contained electric plant (2 gas engines of 17 cv), and employed 72 people in 1903, with social benefits such as medical expenses.

The factory changed hands several times: absorbed in 1923 by Forvil (parfums and toothpastes), occupied until 1940, then sold in 1967 to Natalys (children's clothing), which operated until 2007. Ranked a historic monument in 1992 for its facades and garden, it fell into disrepitude before being renovated in 2017. The current project, led by ETIC and the SEM of Nanterre, transforms the site into a third-place hosting social and solidarity economy actors (ESS), such as Max Havelaar or United Kitchens, with a foodlab, an eponymous restaurant, and a 1,000 m2 permaculture garden.

The architecture reflects a desire for brand image, with a polychrome decoration (bricks, ceramics with thistle motifs) and a functional organization: stone and brick offices on street, brick workshops and mill around a square courtyard. A fire in 1993 saved the classified part, allowing the construction of a new warehouse by architect André Chantalat. Today, the site combines industrial heritage and social innovation, while preserving traces of its past, such as the historic mint plantation replaced by an ecological garden.

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