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Headquarters of the French Communist Party

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Headquarters of the French Communist Party
Map
Alternative namesEspace Niemeyer
General information
Architectural style Modernism
Address2 Place du Colonel Fabien
Town or cityParis
CountryFrance
Construction started1968
Completed1980
Inaugurated1971
ClientFrench Communist Party
OwnerFrench Communist Party
Design and construction
Architect(s)
EngineerJacques Tricot[1][4]
Other designersJean Prouvé[1][2]
DesignationsMonument historique
Other information
Public transit access
Website
espace-niemeyer.fr Edit this at Wikidata

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 previously designed many buildings for Brazil's new capital of Brasília.[6]

Description

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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.[7] It was built in concrete and has curves.[8] The dome, where the party's National Council sits, represents a pregnant woman according to the architect.[7] Niemeyer, himself a communist, designed the building while living in exile in France during the military dictatorship in Brazil.[9] In designing the building, Niemeyer collaborated with Paul Chemetov, Jean Deroche [fr], José L. Pinho, Jean Prouvé, and Jacques Tricot.[1]

In 2007, the building was classed as a monument historique.[9] 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.[8]

Other uses

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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.[7] 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.[9]

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.[10]

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

References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Grossman, Vanessa (12 February 2013). "Le siège du PCF : La liberté formelle d'un manifeste politique". Le moniteur (in French). Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Grossman 2016, p. 159.
  3. ^ Grossman 2016, p. 160.
  4. ^ Grossman 2016, pp. 159–160.
  5. ^ "Fiche technique de nos espaces" [Technical specifications sheet for our spaces] (PDF) (in French). Paris: Espace Niemeyer. p. 15. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ a b c Nivelle, Pascale (10 March 2012). "Le PCF, monument historique" [PCF, monument historique]. Libération (in French). Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  10. ^ "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.

Bibliography

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  • Grossman, Vanessa (2016). "Niemeyer's Headquarters for the French Communist Party, 1965–1980". In Félix, Regina R.; Juall, Scott D. (eds.). Cultural Exchanges Between Brazil and France. West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Press. pp. 158–176. ISBN 978-1-61249-461-6.

Further reading

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  • Grossman, Vanessa (2013). Le PCF a changé ! Niemeyer et le siège du parti communiste (1966–1981) (in French). Paris: Édition B2. ISBN 978-2-36509-024-7.
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