Maison de la Radio, Broadcasting headquarters in 16th arrondissement, France.
Maison de la Radio is a circular building designed by Henry Bernard, consisting of a 500-metre ring around a central rectangular tower 68 metres high. The light grey facade has continuous horizontal window bands, and a vertical blue banner reading "radio" hangs on the inward-facing side of the ring. A separate curved building with planted roof steps down nearby.
In 1952 the state bought a 38,000 m² site by the Seine, formerly a gasworks decommissioned in 1928 and then a stadium, to unite the RTF's studios scattered across some forty Paris addresses. Henry Bernard won the 1953 competition with a ring around a 68-metre tower. Charles de Gaulle inaugurated it on 14 December 1963; in 1975 it passed to Radio France, and in 2018 it was listed as a monument historique.
This building has long served as the heart of French broadcasting, shaping how people across the country receive news and entertainment. Musicians and artists regularly perform here, and the spaces remain active centers for live recordings and radio shows.
The building stands at 116 avenue du Président-Kennedy in the 16th arrondissement, on the Seine side of Paris. The site was chosen away from the metro so that vibrations would not disturb recordings, so the nearest stations leave a walk. Public areas reopened in November 2014 after renovation; the Grand Auditorium seats 1,462 and the Salle Olivier Messiaen 852.
The building houses several performance spaces with specialized organs and acoustics that make it one of France's key venues for classical music and radio concerts. These facilities are actively used by orchestras and radio broadcasts, making it a living cultural center rather than a static display.
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