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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Tony Garnier Hall, located in the Gerland district of Lyon, was designed by architect Tony Garnier as a cattle market for the Mouche slaughterhouses. Inauguration in 1914 at the Lyon International Urban Exhibition, its innovative metal structure, inspired by the 1889 Universal Exhibition of Machines gallery, is based on an 80-metre-range frame without a central pillar. Entrusted as an armament plant during the First World War, it was not fully operational until 1928.

After the closure of the slaughterhouses in 1967 and their partial demolition in 1974, the hall, threatened with destruction, was saved by its inscription in the Historical Monuments in 1975. Its rehabilitation in 1987-1988, entrusted to architects Reichen and Robert, transformed it into a multipurpose concert hall, becoming the second largest in France at the time. It was inaugurated in December 1988 with concerts by Mylène Farmer and Paul McCartney, marking his entry into the international cultural scene.

The hall, with an area of 17,000 m2 and a capacity of 17,000 places, underwent a second renovation in 2000 to optimize its modularity (retractable gradients, acoustic insulation). Today it hosts major events: concerts, salons, and the Biennale d'art contemporain de Lyon since 1991. A symbol of Lyon's industrial heritage, she also celebrates Tony Garnier's legacy, notably during his centennial in 2014 and the 150th anniversary of his birth in 2019.

Its architecture, marked by three-jointed steel arches and zenithal lighting, is inspired by the principles of the Industrial City imagined by Garnier. The structure, created by the Fives-Lille Society under the direction of engineer Bertrand de Fontviolant, illustrates the technical innovation of the early twentieth century. The only vestige of the 25 hectares of the original slaughterhouses, the hall embodies the transition between industrial heritage and contemporary culture.

The Tony Garnier Hall has been operated since 1999 as a public industrial and commercial establishment (EPIC). Its status as a historic monument protects its large hall and entrance pavilions, classified by order of 16 May 1975. The site, owned by the City of Lyon, remains a unique example of heritage rehabilitation, combining architectural preservation and adaptation to modern uses.

Its historic address, 236 rue Marcel-Mérieux (formerly rue des Culattes), and its access via avenue Tony-Garnier underline its anchor in the 7th arrondissement. La Halle is also a place of fiction, as in the police novel Attentat at the Tony Garnier lobby of Bernard Domeyne, testifying to its cultural and media outreach.

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