First fire pump 1828 (≈ 1828)
Installation in Auteuil to power Passy.
1900
Construction of plant A
Construction of plant A 1900 (≈ 1900)
Replace the old fire pumps.
1925
Construction of plant B
Construction of plant B 1925 (≈ 1925)
Modernization with red brick, avenue de Versailles.
1952
Electrification of plant B
Electrification of plant B 1952 (≈ 1952)
End of coal use.
1955
Decommissioning of plant A
Decommissioning of plant A 1955 (≈ 1955)
Becoming a garage and then offices.
2007
Water Pavilion Reconversion
Water Pavilion Reconversion 2007 (≈ 2007)
Open to the public as an educational space.
30 janvier 2020
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 30 janvier 2020 (≈ 2020)
Plant A and B protected.
2024
Home of the House of Europe
Home of the House of Europe 2024 (≈ 2024)
New European vocation added.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Information non disponible - No character named in the source
The text does not mention any specific actors.
Origin and history
The Pavillon de l'eau, originally a factory built in 1900, was designed to supply the water of the Seine with the reservoirs of Passy, the Bois de Boulogne and the maintenance of the streets. Designed by Pacotte, it replaced 19th-century obsolete fire pumps such as Auteuil (1828) or Chaillot, which were considered ineffective and polluting. Its clear and milled brick facades, bay windows and metal frame reflected the industrial innovations of the time, although its coal operation quickly made it obsolete.
As early as 1925, a second plant (factory B) was built nearby to overcome the technical limitations of the former. Modernised in 1952 with electricity, it still provides power to the lakes of the Bois de Boulogne and watering green spaces. The factory A, disused in 1955, became a garage and then an administrative building before being reconverted in 2007 to the Pavillon de l'eau, an educational place managed by Eau de Paris. Since 2024, it has also been home to the House of Europe.
Ranked a historic monument in 2020 with Factory B, the Pavilion offers a permanent exhibition on the history of water supply in Paris, from Gallo-Roman aqueducts to the present day. Its temporary exhibitions, children's activities and thematic meetings make it a key player in water management awareness. The Seine, the historic heart of the Parisian supply, is highlighted through four major periods: ancient, medieval, modern and industrial.
The architecture of the site, marked by lantern roofs and an old brick fireplace (now gone), illustrates the evolution of pumping techniques. The Pavillon, accessible via 75-77 avenue de Versailles, remains a tangible testimony to the Paris industrial revolution and its legacy in water resource management. Its flagship exhibition, Alimenter Paris en eau, traces this technical and urban epic.
