In 1934, the SNCF noticed that the Montparnasse station no longer met its needs. From then on, a vast and gigantic urban plan was woven for the total reorganization of the district. Given the scale of the project, it needed an iconic element.
Delayed kick-off
In fact, for 20 years, the idea was abandoned but then resurfaced when a new traffic plan in Paris was set out. The first studies were entrusted to Raoul-Dautry (who gave his name to the square bordering this new complex). And it was in 1958 that the restructuring of the district began with, as a first measure, the relocation of the old station. Consequence: the disappearance of a good number of old streets, including the streets Moulin de Beurre, Bourgeois, Perceval, Médéah, as well as most of the rue Vercingétorix.
The operation covers an area of 8 hectares and is carried out by a semi-public company. On the site of the old station, the most modern monument of the capital is to be built: the Montparnasse Tower.
Controversy and perilous work
In the 1960s, the public authorities faced a controversy that lasted several years. There are many opponents. But the project is strongly supported by the then French President, Georges Pompidou, who wishes to provide Paris with modern buildings and infrastructure. Work began at the end of 1969 and was completed in 1972. Its designers, the architects Beaudouin, Cassan, de Marien and Saubot had to deal with three types of constraints: the presence of the subway under the tower, the nature of the basement, and constraints inherent in buildings of such height. The Maine-Montparnasse Tower rests on 56 pillars that sink 62 meters into the ground. When it was created, the glass and steel building was the largest office building in Europe.
The Tower in numbers
- 209 meters high
- 59 floors with the terrace
- A total weight of 120,000 tons
- Weight of the metal frame: 7,200 tons (Eiffel Tower: 7,500 tons)
- Surface area of facades: 40,000 m2 (Place Charles de Gaulle: 44,000 m2)
- The Tower has 25 lifts
- You can reach the top in 38 seconds
- Of the 58 floors of the tower, 52 are occupied by offices
- Three floors are entirely devoted to technical installations and it is even possible, for safety reasons, to transform the terrace into a helicopter pad in less than 2 minutes!
- Bar, restaurant and panoramic view: in good weather it is even possible to see within a radius of 40 kilometres!
Tour Montparnasse
Place Raoul-Dautry (14ème)
Adresse : 33, Avenue du Maine
75755 Paris Cedex 15
Accès : Métro Montparnasse-Bienvenüe (lignes 4, 6, 12 et 13)
From Arpil 1st to Septembre 30: open every day from 9:30 to 23:30.
From October 1 to March 31: open every day from 9:30 to 22:30.
Picture: Wikipedia
