Usine Tase, Historical textile factory in Vaulx-en-Velin, France

Usine Tase is a former artificial silk factory in Vaulx-en-Velin, built in 1924 for the Gillet family. Its long concrete buildings rise three levels on square columns, with grids of industrial windows, many now missing their glass, and rust streaks running down the stained facade. The number 20 is painted in black on one building, and fragments of red and blue graphic designs remain on the right side.

The factory was founded in 1924 by the Gillet family and soon became one of the largest artificial silk production centers in France. By the 1930s, the complex employed thousands of workers and stood as a symbol of industrial growth in the region.

The factory once came with housing, a church, schools, and a sports field, so workers could spend their whole daily life on the grounds. Traces of this social infrastructure are still visible on the site today.

The site is large, so it helps to allow enough time and start with the protected western and southern facades to see the original architecture at its best. The different sections of the complex look quite different from each other, so walking slowly through the grounds gives a better overall sense of the place.

The housing was split by rank: 97 villas in five types for foremen and managers at La Poudrette, and 20 four-storey blocks with 491 flats for workers. The young women, mostly Hungarian, lived apart under the care of the Sisters of Saint-Sauveur in the Jeanne d'Arc hostel, paying 40 to 50 percent of their wages for board.