Tourists sometimes expect to see the Eiffel Tower when they land in the French capital's airports, only to be disappointed when they arrive at Orly or Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle. And yet, it could have been, if modernist architect André Lurçat 's project had finally seen the light of day! In the third issue of the magazine L'Architecture d'aujourd'hui, published in 1932 and available on the website of the Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine, we learn that an airport had been envisaged on theÎle aux Cygnes!
Thanks to these archives, we get a glimpse of this crazy project by André Lurçat, a founding member of the Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM), who wanted to integrate urban aviation right in the middle of the capital, in front of the Eiffel Tower, on the 900m-long artificial island, famous for its replica of the Statue of Liberty and its lovely wooded park with a view.
An elevated runway with hangars underneath had been imagined, but obviously this was never possible due to the small size of the runway, already incompatible with the aircraft of the time, but also the noise for local residents and the loss of this space, the neighborhood's veritable green lung. Today, it's hard to imagine huge airliners taking off or landing on the Seine...
Le Saviez-Vous? discover Paris's unusual anecdotes, places and stories
Do you really know everything about Paris? We'll be happy to tell you all about the most unusual places, anecdotes and stories that will help you discover the capital's secrets! [Read more]
Le Saviez-Vous? discover Paris's unusual anecdotes, places and stories
