Imprimerie nationale, State printing facility in 15th arrondissement, France

The Imprimerie nationale is a long, low building of pale yellow brick with stone trim at 27 rue de la Convention in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, built from 1903 by Alphonse Didelot. Behind a tall black iron fence, its facade repeats vertical bays of small-paned rectangular windows over two storeys, with a thin metal railing along the flat roofline. Since 2009 it has housed several services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The building at 27 rue de la Convention was built from 1903 by architect Alphonse Didelot to house the Imprimerie nationale, replacing its former premises on rue Vieille-du-Temple. In 2004 the state sold it to the Carlyle investment fund for 85 million euros after the printing workshops moved to Choisy-le-Roi, then bought it back in 2007 for 376 million euros. Since 2009 it has held several previously dispersed services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The building's printing past survives in its name: the Imprimerie nationale moved its Paris workshops to Choisy-le-Roi in 2004, and since 2009 the premises have housed scattered services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including its international conference centre. The metal sign panel at the left end of the facade carries a small red, white and blue graphic.

The building at 27 rue de la Convention is now an office site for several services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including human resources, financial affairs and the international conferences centre. It is a working administrative site rather than a museum, so there is no visitor route through the former printing workshops. The pale yellow brick facade and its rows of small-paned windows can be seen from the street, behind the tall iron fence along the pavement.

The state sold the building to the Carlyle investment fund in 2004 for 85 million euros, after the printing workshops moved to Choisy-le-Roi, then bought it back in 2007 for 376 million euros following conversion work. The metal sign panel at the left end of the facade carries a small red, white and blue graphic.