The 11th Arrondisement is one of my favorite neighborhoods to wander. Vintage signs from the manufacturing era still grace the facades of many stores and every turn yields a new architectural gem. I previously covered a hidden artisan enclave rue de Charonne, also in the 11th. On that same trip, I followed where my whim took me and came across this hidden factory inside a courtyard on rue de Faubourg Saint-Antoine. Rue de Faubourg is one of the oldest street of Paris, once the main thoroughfare of the suburb of the Saint-Antoine abbey.

The neighborhood is under a preservation plan called the Plan de protection et de mise en valeur, which includes the planning of public spaces, protection of historic buildings and regulations for new buildings–they must be contextual to the existing built environment in terms of height, color and other factors. Furthermore, the particular mix of residential housing and craft-oriented businesses around courtyards and passages must be maintained.

What caught my eye at 74 rue de Faubourg was the enormous chimney and beautiful glass canopy, which I glimpsed after emerging from the store  Aigle, where I succumbed to a pair of rain boots. (Yes, French design even extends to rain boots.)

In the dense fabric of Paris and the architectural typology of courtyards concealed by doors, you can peer into whole other worlds. At the entrance, large marble plaques stand as testament to a once glorious hive of craftsmanship, a furniture factory founded in 1826 that appears to have won many awards in the Grand Prix and produced varied items from copper beds to pianos.

The neighborhood was always been a hotbed of rebellion and was filled with barricades in the 1830 uprising. The many small passages in the neighborhood architecturally fueled the revolutionary fire. The walls of 74 rue de Faubourg, known as the court of Burgundy (cour de Bourgogne), were damaged by canon fire.

Today the building is used by Cap Digital, a non-profit business cluster for digital content. Cap Digital supports R&D, business development, international development, and a think tank.The non-profit is also involved in various city initiatives, including the EU’s OpenCities program that looks to leverage crowdsourcing and open data and the European Digital Think Tank. The organization also publishes e-books, compilations on a digital festival in Paris entitled the Futur en Seine – The Future of the Digital City (this year’s festival will take place June 14-24).

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The Parisian suburbs are known for their grands ensembles, massive suburban apartment complexes built in the 1950s and 1960s. Square, monofunctional and surrounded by open spaces, they are the materialization of the reigning Modernist ideology of the time and are the first view foreign visitors get from Paris as they arrive from Roissy Charles De Gaulle or Orly Airport, as in the view of Sarcelles below.

Sarcelles, Grand Ensembles

Less well known, but no less spectacular, is perhaps the subsequent wave of urbanization that occurred in the 1970s and 80s around Paris. In reaction to Modernist principles, the designs of the new housing developments were characterized by a return to classical forms of architecture and ornamentation. A group of young architects, wanting to shy away from the mere “functionality” of Modernism, took advantage of the new urban plans of the 1970s, the villes nouvelles, which provided them with an opportunity to implement their burgeoning ideas. Using the most advanced building techniques at their disposal, they attempted to show that building mass housing at a reasonable cost with unique details could be possible through standardized production.

With this idea in mind, I surmised that taking a day trip to check out these developments would lead me to those buildings where you have the impression that the architect went crazy and nobody told him to stop…I was right. Here are a few choice cuts.

Les Espaces d’Abraxas (1982, Noisy le Grand)

Les Espaces d’Abraxas, was conceived by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill as an inhabited monument in the context of the ville nouvelle of Marne-La-Vallée. The 591-unit complex is made up of three main parts: the Palacio, a 19-story high apartment building; the théatre, a curved section of apartments demarcating a plaza in the center; and the arc in the center, modeled on a triumphal arch containing 20 apartments.

The central space, in the form of a lawn-covered plaza enclosed by the surrounding buildings, is an all-embracing open-air theatre. Mastery of concrete structures and of the system of prefabricated facades made it possible to use a comprehensive and highly complex architectural idiom. Although the methodology employed for Les Espaces d’Abraxas is related to previous projects by Bofill, this work is nonetheless the first volumetric exercise in space of such large dimensions. This proposed alternative to standardized, anonymous construction in the suburbs is an example of how the architects managed to embrace different scales of architecture, from the conception of basic volumes of the the complex design of facades and urban furniture. The details in the architecture are neo-classical elements, all as a way to elevate this modern social housing.

Les Arènes de Picasso (1985, Noisy le Grand)

Not far from Espaces d’Abraxas is Les Arènes de Picasso. Buildings are organized in an octagonal layout with two 14-story tall circular units on two facing sides. A green park with a large figural sculpture is in the center. The complex accommodates 540 dwellings, a kindergarten, a high school and a few convenience stores. In the post-Modernist tradition, Spanish architect Manolo Nuñez Yanowsky intended to break with standardized, functional modern architecture. The overall setting is highly symbolic–the two circular modules are aligned on an axis parallel to the Equator and are meant to represent the wheels of an overturned chariot. Repetition in design is avoided through a host of architectural details reminiscent of a Native American or Aztec art-deco aesthetic.

Le Viaduc et le Temple (1982 and 1986, Montigny le Bretonneux)

Ricardo Bofill conceived La Sourderie, a part of the ville nouvelle of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, as a vast housing ensemble to “magnify [the] daily life” of its residents. Bofill intended to give a sense of place through a design that was anchored in the traditions of the area. He first drew his inspiration from French historic architecture to design Le Viaduc (derived from the Chateau de Chenonceau), the surrounding garden and the central artificial lake (derived from the Jardins à la Francaise of the nearby Chateau de Versailles). Then, he built Le Temple based on the local Greco-Roman legacy (he thought of it as an offshoot of the Parthenon in Athens). Completed in 1986, the development forms the “Versailles for the people” contemplated by its creator. By associating historic architectural shapes with cutting-edge construction techniques (prefabricated elements, architectonic concrete), Bofill was aiming to revolutionize affordable housing, allowing anybody to live in a piece of art.

After visiting these locales, you feel completely removed from the Paris the world “thinks” they know. Rather, you’ve glimpsed a sort of future that never happened. It comes as no surprise that film director Terry Gilliams chose Les Espaces d’Abraxas as a backdrop for his famous movie Brazil, a satirical look at a bureaucratic, largely dysfunctional future world.

One must recognize though that these buildings met their intended goal—making it possible to accommodate many people quickly and at a reasonable cost. But a hardly describable atmosphere of disarray and boredom reigns there. Thirty years after construction, deteriorating prefabricated modules combined with negligent maintenance make the ornamental details look like cheap versions of themselves. In the end, these projects are yet another utopian attempt by modern architects to find solutions to economic and social issues through design. Focusing exclusively on form, they failed to create a sense of place, producing environments that are all but vibrant. Le Viaduc for example embodies a sort of idealized neighborhood with large green spaces and no cars, but feels deprived of the essential ingredients of urbanity. However, it would not be fair to leave out the opinions of the residents themselves in this discussion. A few years ago, Noisy-le-Grand municipality contemplated tearing down Les Espaces d’Abraxas, an initiative that was vigorously fought by the community. While complaining about inhuman scale, bad maintenance and the scarcity of nearby shopping options, they paradoxically seem to be attached to their place. Undeniably outdated, these buildings remain food for thought for urban planners and designers.

Most well known for mashing up his two home cities, New York and Paris in “What if Manhattan Was Design liked Paris?”, Charles-Antoine Perrault is also a graduate student in urban planning at Columbia University. 

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The architecture of 77 rue de Charonne is simply unlike anywhere else in Paris–a narrow cobblestone courtyard surrounded by 5 floors of red ironwork balconies, matching the brick detailing. The new had Paris engulfed the old, concealing this place from the street. But fortunately it’s still a place we can discover today. A pulley system allowed the raw wood, stored in the courtyard, to be lifted to the appropriate floor. The large windows were practical, letting in light for the craftsmen. Today they allow for the sunny ateliers of designers, architects, dance studios, yoga classes and theaters that inhabit the building.

Walking through the courtyard, I heard the sound of bluegrass music and poked my head in to a studio to find a band rehearsing. They waved and smiled. The wooden staircase wraps around an old elevator and as you peek around, you’ll come across some curious gnomes, a small community garden of sorts, and maybe the finger prints of Joan Collins?

Current occupants include La Loge, a theater and dance facility that also hosts live jazz, poetry and rock shows. The building is often used for film shoots, but there are many design firms also located within. The day I checked it out, there had clearly been a rocking party the night before in one of the studios. One table alone had 11 empty bottles of champagne and wine!

Check it out all for yourself at 77, rue de Charonne in the 11th arrondisement
[Map]

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1. An Industrial Chimney with a Medieval Turret!

This brick chimney is hidden amidst the trees just near the West Pillar along Quai Branley. It’s older than the Eiffel Tower, built to assist the construction efforts. The chimney was constructed for the machine room below the South Pillar.

2. Eiffel Tower Post Office

Send a postcard from La Poste and it gets stamped with an Eiffel Tower postmark! The post office is located on the first floor.

3. English Romantic Period Gardens

Two picturesque parks with Romantic Period landscaping–meandering pond, rocky crags, lush greenery, quaint bridges and weeping willows–are right next to the pillars and woefully overlooked.

4. Cafe La Bonbonnière de Marie

This little outdoor cafe with red and white checkered table cloths is a Parisian “secret.” Grab a leisurely drink, crepe or ice cream, or pizza and salads for lunch. There’s a carousel, playground and sandbox just near by so it has the pleasant air of happy children.

5. Names on the Eiffel Tower

Thanks to restoration on the Eiffel Tower, the engraved names of 72 French scientists and engineers from the original design are visible again. Most of the scientists were active during the French Revolution and the early 19th century. The engravings were covered over in the early 20th century and restored for the first time in 1986-1987, and again last in 2010. More details here.

6. Bus Hideout

Ever wonder why you don’t see buses near the Eiffel Tower? They’re cleverly concealed along the banks of the Seine.

Of course, going to the top of the Eiffel Tower is still a must, at least once!

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I survived the death of Yves Saint-Laurent.  I was studying in Paris when he died in 2008, and it seemed like the whole city was in mourning.  My friend Jessica’s grandmother, la baronesse, was in mourning, but I didn’t know it at the time.  Later I saw his prints in her appartement on la rue de Bellechasse.  I saw the dresses he made for her.  I never saw her.  When I stayed at her appartement, two years after the death of Yves Saint-Laurent, she was not there.  She was in Corsica.  She was having her appartement repainted and Jessica complained of the fumes.

My friend, the baronesse’s granddaughter, thought the appartement was “trop grandmère,” but I loved it.  It was full of narrow corridors leading to big rooms.  Jessica told me to make myself at home.  I got lost on the way to the kitchen.  I thought we could cook together.  Jessica apologized because she didn’t know how to use the professional stove.  Only her grandmother’s cook uses it.  Fortunately there was an electric kettle for making tea.

There was also an attic apartment that the baronesse rented out to concert musicians above her appartement.  We were invited to have dinner there by the Chinese violinist who was the tenant at the time.  He was in love with Jessica’s older sister, and he serenaded us while we were preparing the pasta.  There was no dining room table in the attic apartment—indeed there was no dining room—so we made a picnic on the floor of the salon.  Jessica put a towel on the floor to make sure nothing would spill on the beige carpet.  It was exactly the same beige as the walls of the apartment buildings covered by the slate-grey roofs we could see out the windows.  The sky too was slate-grey after the rain, and the raindrops on the windows gave the city below the air of an Impressionist painting, like the ones housed in the Musée d’Orsay, just two blocks north of the appartement on la rue de Bellechasse.

The Musée d’Orsay was always my favorite museum in Paris.  I went with my friend Ren, who was studying art history, and she acted as my guide.  We stood staring at Olympia and Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe by Manet.  What a scandal these paintings were at the time.  “She was a prostitute!” Ren exclaimed.  “Look, she’s staring straight at you, challenging your gaze.”  Even after Ren moved on to the next painting, I stood there staring at Olympia, studying every detail of the painting.  I went by myself too.  Sometimes I would bring a sketchbook and sit there sketching the sculptures, like the one of the four continents holding up the globe.  I watched the real art students and pretended to be one of them.  I wanted to be an artist and an artist’s muse at the same time.

Jessica was dating an artist.  I never met him.  That summer when I stayed with her at her grandmother’s apartment, she brought me to her father’s birthday party.  Her parents lived in the 11th arrondissement, near the Bastille.  Their apartment was the opposite of Jessica’s grandmother’s, raw and unfinished-looking.  Where she had paintings in gold frames and porcelain Chinese vases, they had posters and wooden sculptures from Africa.  The left bank, where la baronesse lived, used to be considered the more bohemian part of Paris, but now la Bastille is à la mode.  Still, I have to admit that I loved staying in that out-of-date aristocratic apartment on the Left Bank.  One day when Jessica was out, I went around taking photographs of those rooms, as if I needed proof that this place really existed and I was really there.

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Cimetière de Montparnasse was established in 1824, and is located at 3, Boulevard Edouard Quinet. There are more than 300,000 people buried in over 35,000 tombs. It is still an active cemetery with more than 1,000 new burials every year.

The cemetery’s architecture and monuments:

The entrance to the cemetery:

The winged hourglass is a motif that appears at many of Paris’ cemeteries:

A statue on the cemetery’s roundabout:

The cenotaph of Charles Baudelaire:

Memorial to Parisian police officers killed in the line of duty:

Memorial to the Parisian Republican Guard:

Memorial to Parisian firefighters who fell in the line of duty:

Memorial to soldiers who died in the line of duty:

Remnant of a windmill:

Memorial to the Defenders of Paris:

Montparnasse’s famous residents:

Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, authors and philosophers:

The poet, Charles Baudelaire:

The playwright, Eugène Ionesco:

Serge Gainsbourg, poet and singer:

Samuel Beckett, author, playwright, and poet:

Guy de Maupassant, author:

André Citroën, founder of the eponymous car factory:

Alfred Dreyfus, the scapegoat in the Dreyfus affair:

Pierre Larousse, author of encyclopedia Larousse Gastronomique:

Constantin Brâncuşi, sculptor:

César Baldaccini, sculptor:

Frédéric Bartholdi, sculptor:

Charles Pigeon, engineer, inventor and manufacturer:

Urbain Le Verrier, the astronomer and mathematician who discovered Neptune:

The Kiss, by Brancusi, sits atop the tomb of Tania Rachevskaia, a Russian anarchist who committed suicide for love in 1908:

Tombs with interesting art and designs:

Views of the cemetery:

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Cimetière de Passy was established in 1820, and is located at 2, Rue du Commandant Schlœsing, just a few blocks away from the Trocadero. It may be the smallest of Paris’s major cemeteries, but with 2,600 graves it is also the most densely populated. Of note is the sculptural group honoring soldiers killed during World War II on its outer wall, the 1934 pavilion/visitor’s center designed by Berger, and the three 1935 bas-reliefs by Janthial that adorn that building.

The cemetery’s architecture and monuments:

The Second World War memorial sculptural group on the cemetery’s outer wall:

The cemetery’s entrance:

Janthial’s 1935 bad-reliefs:

Passy’s famous residents:

The painters, Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot (his sister in law) are buried together:

The composer, Claude Debussy is buried in a simple tomb:

Tombs with interesting art and designs:

Views of the cemetery:

The Eiffel Tower is visible in this panorama of graves:

On a visit to Trocadero and Eiffel Tower, don’t forget to check out the Passy Cemetery as well! Stay tuned for this ongoing series on Paris cemeteries.

Tucked just off busy Grand Boulevard nearby other famous arcades in Paris–the Passage Juoffroy and Passage des Panoramas–is the Cité Bergère, an open air passage now home to numerous hotels. Many of these hotels have elaborate ironwork entrances, remnants of a time when this was a very fashionable district.

The L-shaped passage was built privately in 1825 and has two entrances, one on #6 de la rue du Faubourg-Montmartre and one at 23 rue Bergère. In Victor Hugo’s treatise against Louis Napoléon, Napoleon the Little, he recounts the coup d’etat of December 2nd, 1850 which brought the younger Napoléon to power. On this bloody day, much of the action centered near the Grand Boulevard/Saint Denis area. Victims were brought to various places nearby and the crowds followed, particularly to Cité Bergère, where, according to Hugo, they had “become troublesome,” and a big sign was eventually placed at the entrance, “There are no more dead bodies here.”

Composer Frederic Chopin also spent time in Cité Bergère, first in an inn on his initial arrival to Paris (where he stayed for 2 months) and in an apartment at #4, Cité Bergère in 1832 when the area became much more fashionable.

Nestled in the bucolic landscape of Provence, the charming town of Cavaillon resembles a postcard with a jagged landscape hinting quietly at the sea nearby.

So much of the identity of Cavaillon seems to be tied up in its melons. Thought to be brought to the region from Italy during the 14th century when the papacy relocated to France, the seeds flourished in their new climate. Sweet and aromatic, the melons fragrance the air of the region throughout its peak months, becoming enticingly omnipotent as the summer drags on. Tourists flock to the town, eager to find the perfect specimen. It will smell rich and sweet, and feel surprisingly heavy for its size. The Cavaillon Melon is also an aesthetic treat, donning a rich green color with vibrant blue/green stripes – 10 of them. Nine or eleven stripes, it has been argued, may indicate that it is under ripe or past its prime.

Melon, bottom right – NINE STRIPES.

Cavaillon’s most famous resident and avid melon fan was the author of several celebrated novels, including “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “The Three Muskateers.” In 1864, Alexandre Dumas received a letter from the town asking if he might consider donating some of his works to the public library. Ever a gentleman, he responded:

“Have the kindness to inform Monsieur Tourel, your honourable Mayor, that I agree on one condition: if the town and the Cavaillon authorities think highly of my books, I also love their melons and I would like, in exchange for my 300 or 400 volumes, that a bylaw be passed awarding me a life annuity of 12 Cavaillon melons a year.”

The town agreed, and sadly, the great author only ever enjoyed 72 melons.

The beloved Cavaillon Melon has been celebrated for centuries in various incarnations, be it in a cucumber soup, wrapped in ham or simply as is. And being such a simple yet integral facet of the local culture, one might be hard pressed to find a more quaint or delightful reason to visit any place.

To learn a bit more about the region and how to plan a stay, particularly during the popular melon festival, please take a look here.

Here’s as photo essay by Nina, with her own captions:

Arizona Muse (my favorite model!) backstage at Chloe

Lining up for rehearsal backstage at Cacharel 

Models Siri and Hanne backstage at Cacharel

View of the Eiffel Tower at Dries Van Noten

Runway at Dries Van Noten

Runway at Rochas

Backstage at John Galliano 

Alexander McQueen finale

Liv Tyler posing for cameras at Givenchy

Look #40 at Jean Paul Gaultier

Chloe Sevigny backstage at Kenzo (she walked in and closed the show)

Makeup artist applying coverup to a model’s legs

Makeup artist Dick Page backstage at Sonia Rykiel 

Model stampede backstage at Sonia Rykiel

Tribal makeup at Vivienne Westwood 

Backstage at Vivienne Westwood 

When we asked about her own time in Paris, Nina said that sadly covering the collections leaves “little free time for shopping, sightseeing or even eating!” But at the end of a long day, she would go to Le Tambour on Rue Montmartre with her coworkers for great atmosphere, wine and divey decor.

To see more of Nina’s work, check out her website at ninawestervelt.tumblr.com