Usine Leroy, Historic wallpaper factory in Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry, France.
Usine Leroy is a former factory complex with production buildings, worker housing, and a distinctive printing machine capable of applying up to 26 colors simultaneously to wallpapers. The site reflects how industrial facilities were organized to support both manufacturing and employee needs during that period.
The enterprise was founded in 1842 by Louis-Isidore Leroy in Paris and began producing wallpapers using innovative printing techniques. In 1912, it relocated to Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry under architect Paul Fries's design, allowing for expanded manufacturing operations.
The site now hosts the cultural center 'Les 26 couleurs', which opened in 2011 and presents art events along with exhibitions focused on industrial heritage. Visitors can see how this place shaped local artistic traditions and continues to serve as a gathering space for creative activities.
The site is now open to visitors and allows exploration of the preserved factory buildings and worker housing. Visiting during cultural center events offers opportunities to see the space activated and sometimes includes guided tours of the industrial areas.
The printing machine gained recognition at the 1878 Paris World's Fair for its innovative capability to apply multiple colors in a single pass, showcasing how advanced this factory was technologically. Visitors can still observe these machines and understand how they transformed wallpaper production methods.
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