Château d'eau Saint-Charles, Water tower turned residential building in Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
The Saint-Charles tower is a former water storage structure with a cylindrical reinforced concrete shape that kept its original exterior form. Inside, it now contains 18 apartments spread across 8 levels, with curved interior walls that follow the building's round geometry.
The structure was built in 1908 to store water for the expanding town and served this purpose for many decades. It fell out of use after World War II and remained vacant for years before being converted into homes toward the end of the 20th century.
The tower represents how this town values its industrial past while creating homes for residents today. It stands as a daily reminder of the area's manufacturing roots and demonstrates that old structures can serve modern purposes.
The building is easy to spot from various points around town due to its distinctive round shape. Access to the interior is limited to residents and special occasions, but the exterior can be viewed and photographed at any time.
The apartments have no right-angled rooms because they must adapt to the tower's round shape. This unusual layout makes each unit distinctive, with slanted walls and rounded corners throughout.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
