| Located near the metro stations: Quatre-Septembre or Richelieu - Drouot. |
The Crédit Lyonnais headquarters (the headquarters of the French bank Crédit Lyonnais, now LCL) is installed in a haussmannian style building in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. It is located on a quadrilateral formed by the Boulevard des Italiens, the rue de Gramont, the rue du Quatre-Septembre and the rue de Choiseul.
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The building is organized around a large double helix similar to the one in Chateau de Chambord. The building was a real success : it was necessary to deliver "permission to visit" tickets ![1]
The stone cladding, a traditional symbol of wealth, conceals a metal frame, partially produced by the workshops of Gustave Eiffel.
The office space is organized on several levels, from both sides of a gallery lightened through a glass: the whole offices are visible by the public and the management.
A hall is located at each end of the building, each lit by a glass at 21 metres height achieved by the workshop of Gustave Eiffel. The glass on the side of the boulevard of the Italians is more impressive than the side of the rue du Quatre-Septembre. It hosts in the floors the offices of the General Staff of the bank.
The Hall of securities at the time was designed as the frame, like a hall metal by institutions Eiffel.
On the outside, on the Boulevard des Italiens, the central pavilion is based on Pavillon de l’Horloge of the Palais du Louvre. The pediment, carved by Camille Lefèvre, is an allegory of banking activities: it represents the bank distributing loans, surrounded by the Trade and Industry, and the rivers Rhone and the Seine. It is supported by four groups of caryatids around a large clock by sculptor Désiré-Maurice Ferrary.
When it opened, the building housed one of the first electrical installations. To provide light to the room of safes, a part of the floor was composed of glass tiles manufactured by Saint-Gobain. To impress people and encourage them to cross the building, a huge hall, lit by 310 gas burners, opened between rows of desks in the English fashion, without grids or windows. In the same spirit of open space, the offices were not separated. "Bulkheads are only used by employees to read freely their newspapers!" said Henri Germain. For the management, at the first floor, the doors were with mahogany paneling and draperies of green reps. The securities service moved first from Lyon to Paris. Vouchers were kept in 195 safes Fichet in the basement, surrounded by a walkway and serviced by a staircase at the top where an ashtray is marked "Turn off your cigars."[2]
Inside the building, there is a double revolution staircase (or double helix staircase), which is famous. It was inspired by the staircase of the Chateau de Chambord. Both have the same goal: allow two populations to use the same stairs without meeting each other; there was a stair (with dual balustrade) for the management, and another (with single balustrade) by employees.
The stairs continue with metal stairs from the second floor and the fourth, but still in double revolution. The use of metal is characteristic of the industrial era. A glass roof, 30 metres above the ground, illuminates the entire staircase.
Some offices are accessible via classic stairs at the 5th floor and even at the 6th floor in the main pavilion located above the entrance of the Boulevard des Italiens.
Source :[3]
600 firefighters were mobilized and spent about 19 hours extinguishing the fire. Two thirds of the building located on the side of rue du Quatre-Septembre were devastated. The room safe was partially flooded.
After the fire which caused enormous damage, the Credit Lyonnais sells his headquarters for 1.3 billion francs to the insurer AIG.[2]
Since the beginning, the building was open to the public that could pass through it in all its length. With the main branch of the bank, a branch for the employees and the international branch. After the fire, the building is divided in two separate spaces. Credit Lyonnais keeps the historic part called "Hotel des Italiens", about a quarter of the building on the side of the boulevard des Italiens. With the offices of the direction, the council room and the double revolution staircase.
The part of the building on the side of the rue du Quatre-Septembre has suffered hard damages. It was renamed "Centorial", in particular to reuse the logo CL on the facade.
Its features are impressive: 4.30 m wide and 3.50 m high at 36 m height. Weight: 4 tons. It was created by Jean-Claude Duplessis, ornementist and best worker of France.[4]
After the fire, huge reconstruction works began in January 2001 by AIG French Property Fund, for the new owner of the building (Deka Immobilien Investment GmbH), under the direction of the architect Jean-Jacques Ory. These works have to combine respect for classified part the building (the large metal canopy built by Eiffel workshops), the need for a modern office building, and the wish to remember the original architecture.
The trading room (where the fire broke out) and the hanging garden situated above it were replaced by a long gallery with a metal canopy that remember the securities hall of the original building.
In 2005, the employees of the French economic newspaper Les Échos left rue de la Boétie and moved into the building. Some departments of LCL (new name of Credit Lyonnais) were also installed in the building.