Headquarters of the French Communist Party

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The Headquarters of the French Communist Party (French: Siège du Parti communiste français) are located at 2 Place du Colonel Fabien in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. The lead architect was Oscar Niemeyer, who had designed many buildings in Brazil's new capital Brasília.[1]

Description

It was designed in 1966 and works began in 1968. The building was inaugurated in 1971; its external dome was not fully completed until 1980.[2] It was built in concrete and has curves.[3] The dome, where the party's National Council sits, represents a pregnant woman according to the architect.[2] Niemeyer, himself a communist, designed the building while living in exile in France during the military dictatorship in Brazil.[4]

In 2007, the building was classed as a monument historique.[4] A survey by 20 minutes in 2020 found the building to be one that divided opinions the most among Parisians, alongside the Tour Montparnasse and the Sacré-Cœur.[3]

Other uses

When Robert Hue was party leader, it was agreed for fashion shows and filming to take part at the headquarters for extra income. The first was by Prada in 2000, followed by Thom Browne and Jean Paul Gaultier. Belgian singer Angèle filmed the video for "Jalousie" here, as did Alain Souchon for "Et si en plus, y a personne". The film Mood Indigo (2013) and the series Osmosis were also recorded here.[2] As of 2012, the building only had 44 permanent staff, and was considered disproportionately large by Libération; national secretary Pierre Laurent said that the party would never sell the building.[4]

In August 2008, the decision was made to rent out the top two of the six floors to private companies under the name Espace Niemeyer, which would save €3 million of an annual budget of €12 million. The first tenants were Autochenille Production, a comics and animation company.[5]

Gallery

  • Aerial view of the dome
    Aerial view of the dome
  • Inside the dome
    Inside the dome
  • Rooftop view
    Rooftop view

References

  1. ^ "Oscar Niemeyer construira à Paris le nouveau siège du parti communiste" [Oscar Niemeyer will build the Communist Party's new headquarters in Paris]. Le Monde (in French). 24 November 1966. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Marchal, Marie Amelie (17 December 2020). "Le PCF a 100 ans : à Paris, son siège mythique accueille les tournages d'Angèle, Indochine et Netflix" [The PCF turns 1000: in Paris, its legendary headquarters host filmings by Angèle, Indochine and Netflix] (in French). Actu.fr. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Paris : Le siège du PCF, un bloc de béton dont " la magie fonctionne toujours "" [Paris: The PCF headquarters, a concrete block where "magic still happens"]. 20 minutes (in French). 19 November 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Nivelle, Pascale (10 March 2012). "Le PCF, monument historique" [PCF, monument historique]. Libération (in French). Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Le siège du parti communiste devient l'espace Niemeyer" [Communist Party headquarters become the Espace Niemeyer]. Le Parisien (in French). 26 August 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
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