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Les Halles—No longer an eyesore?

In spite of the economic crisis, the Paris city council just approved a one-billion-dollar makeover for Les Halles.  

The enormous project to renovate the shopping complex, its surrounding gardens, and one of Europe's busiest subway stations has been under discussion for the past seven years and has become a political football.  

Many people avoid the area -- located in the 1st arrondissement, the area was known as “the stomach” of Paris -- that over the years has developed a seedy side, becoming a magnet for people who were up to no good and liked to prowl the miles and miles of underground shopping and fast-food emporiums. Our colleague and often-skeptical observer of Paris, Joseph Lestrange, describes Les Halles as resembling  "un dépotoir de vaisseaux spatiaux," or a spaceship junkyard.  "All it needs," he tells us, "is a chain link fence and a couple of nasty dogs--and maybe some oily rags and a match."

Mention Les Halles to people who knew Paris before the wholesale market was demolished in 1971 and you’ll be greeted by looks of nostalgia for the good old days. Vendors and buyers gathered to sell and buy every variety of food and flowers. It was not only a market but also a social gathering place, where chefs and neighbors discussed the fare for the day.  Anyone who went to the market that opened at 5 a.m. was exposed to La vraie France.  Some of the best restaurants in Paris sprung up in the area -- people wanted to eat and weren’t going to be satisfied with any old slop.  

Some restaurants opened at the crack of dawn, since that’s when market workers were hungry and their work for the day was done.  If they’d been driving all night, they didn’t want an omelet, but a full-blown meal complete with wine and more.  The merchants would meander in later.  

Les Halles has an incredible history. In 1183, King Philippe II Auguste built a shelter for the vendors. In the 1850s, massive glass and iron buildings, designed by architect Victor Baltard, were constructed.  When the city of Paris decided is was no longer feasible to have trucks and more trucks descending into the center, Rungis was constructed.  (Rungis is located seven miles from Paris near Orly Airport and consists of one metal warehouse after another.  It’s reputed to be the largest wholesale market in the world, but is totally devoid of charm. Only professionals are supposed to buy there, but occasionally a ‘normal’ person will be able to sneak into this huge complex, where you literally need a car to go from one building to another.)

Even though funds are at a premium, Socialist Mayor Bertrand Delanoë has staunchly defended the makeover as a priority for the rebirth of the neighborhood, saying: "Les Halles is one Paris’s main attractions."  

The design, headed by French architect and urban planner David Mangin, will be "a center for hip-hop culture." Projected to be finished in 2016, it’s slated to have a 14,000 square-meter glass canopy that will cover the shopping complex, library, a concert hall, cafes and green spaces.

The children’s playground and the Place Rene-Cassin, at the foot of the gothic Saint Eustache, will remain unchanged because the area’s residents were adamant that the parks be preserved.

Les Halles-Chatelet Métro and suburban train stations—used by approximately 800,000 people a day—will be modernized, adding additional entrances and renovated waiting areas.

Let’s hope this inner city re-do will prove to be an asset to the city and will morph Les Halles from beast into a beauty that will become a major tourist attraction.  Competing with classical French architecture is a challenge as has been proven by La Défense and the Tour Montparnasse -- both which feel out of place with Baron Haussmann’s design of Paris in the mid-1800s.   

People agree there’s a time when progress is indicated and needed. Let’s hope this rendition outshines the last. What do you think?  Are you an advocate of modern French architecture?  Do you think this is a judicious period time to fork over all of this money or should the city leave things as they are currently?  Come talk to us and tell us your thoughts at TWITTER.

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Karen@BonjourParis.com