Manufacture des œillets, Industrial heritage site in Ivry-sur-Seine, France
The Manufacture des Œillets is a former factory in Ivry-sur-Seine with concrete and glass structures forming a large industrial complex. The main hall features a distinctive metal framework that supports the building's open interior layout.
The business started in Paris in 1836 making metal eyelets and fountain pen parts before moving to Ivry-sur-Seine in 1894. The current building was constructed in 1913 based on design principles borrowed from American industrial factories.
The site now hosts an art school, a contemporary art center, and a national theater company that share the renovated spaces. You can experience how these cultural institutions animate the building through exhibitions and performances.
Access to private areas is limited, but you can visit the designated cultural spaces during opening hours. Check ahead to see which exhibitions or performances are scheduled during your visit.
The 1913 building was inspired by an American shoe factory design and introduced early 20th-century industrial architecture concepts to Europe. This cross-Atlantic borrowing of industrial methods was quite uncommon in French factory design at that time.
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