Lille Courthouse, Modernist courthouse in Vieux-Lille district, France
Lille Courthouse is a modern judicial building in the city center with a 50-meter concrete tower spanning 12 floors and a lower three-story wing attached to it. The overall complex blends vertical and horizontal elements to fit within the surrounding urban layout.
The current structure was completed in 1968 and replaced a neoclassical palace from 1839 that architect Victor Leplus had designed. The new building occupied the site of the former Saint-Pierre Collegiate Church.
Inside, modern artworks and concrete furnishings reflect the design style of the 1960s. These elements show how contemporary architecture shaped the everyday experience of people in judicial spaces.
The building is located in the city center and is accessible on weekdays during normal business hours. Visitors should check in advance whether tours are permitted, as it remains an active courthouse handling daily operations.
The new building is roughly ten times larger in volume than its predecessor and features an unusual blend of height and horizontal spread. This scale enabled modern court functions to be housed in a single complex, which was groundbreaking for its time.
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