Palais de la Femme, Historical monument and shelter in 11th arrondissement, France

Palais de la Femme occupies a corner at 94 rue de Charonne and rue Faidherbe, a pale brick and stone building with round-arched windows, keystones and tall vertical bays on each wing. The ground floor opens in large arched glazed bays, the central one framing an entrance with sculpted figures above, and a mosaic panel decorates the upper central section. Inside are 630 rooms, a vestibule, staircase, restaurant, tea room and library, plus an original glass roof.

The site held the Dominican convent of the Filles-de-la-Croix from 1641 until its closure and demolition in 1904; tradition names it as the burial place of Cyrano de Bergerac. In 1910 Auguste Labussière and Célestin Longerey built a hostel for single working men for Amicie Lebaudy's Groupe des Maisons Ouvrières, the first of its kind in France. It became a war hospital in 1914, housed the Ministry of Pensions from 1919 to 1924, and was bought by the Salvation Army through Blanche and Albin Peyron, opening as the Palais de la Femme on 23 June 1926. It was inscribed as a monument historique on 25 June 2003.

The name Palais de la Femme dates from the Salvation Army's takeover in 1926, when donors could have their names fixed on a plaque on the door of one of the 630 rooms. The building still houses single women and young women, and today also men. The corner sign reads "PALAIS DE LA FEMME" and "ARMEE DU SALUT".

The building is well-connected by multiple metro stations in the 11th arrondissement, making it easy to reach from other parts of Paris. Keep in mind that this is an active facility serving vulnerable women, so access may be restricted to visitors.

This building unusually combines two roles: it serves as both a protected historic monument with artistic value and an active home for women facing hardship. This dual function makes it a rare example of how a heritage building continues to serve a direct social purpose today.