Paris: Why is the city buying the Bataclan, the Tango and other places of culture?

It was a campaign promise from Anne Hidalgo. Before her re-election, the outgoing mayor had declared herself ready to "take control of certain cultural places in Paris that are threatened, in order to protect them". In view of the investments made in this direction, it seems that the word is kept. After the modern Lavoir (18th arrondissement), the Golden Arrow (20th), the town hall bought, at the end of the year, the Tango in the Marais (3rd). Cultural places in difficulty which have all in their own way marked the history of the capital.

From 2020 and his re-election, the municipal team had set out to preempt Le Lavoir modern historic building, described by Zola in L'Assommoir, today transformed into a theater for young creation, in the popular district of Goutte -Golden. The mythical wash house, built in 1870, was operated until 1953. In 1968, after years of neglect, it was transformed into a theater which is now managed by the “Graines de soleil” association.

At the same time, the town hall had tackled the file of the Flèche d'Or, former station of the small belt, transformed into a concert hall in the 1960s and closed since 2016, which was coveted by several buyers who planned to completely transform the place.

Three purchases of "walls", a goodwill

The latest file to date, the Tango, an LGBT disco located in the rue au Maire, a veritable institution in the Marais for which the town hall has spent 6.7 million euros. High place of culture during the week and of dancing at the weekend, the Tango encountered serious financial difficulties. To maintain its activity, management was entrusted to a collective called Tango 3.0. The Bataclan file is a little different. “For the first three establishments, we acquired the walls, explains Carine Rolland, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of culture, while for the Bataclan, it is the activity that we bought. »

But why are these places in particular saved? “There are a lot of criteria that come into account, explains Carine Rolland, there are places we always have an eye on, for others we can be challenged. For the town hall of Paris to embark on a file, the conditions must be met. “We look at the history of the place, the anchoring in its neighborhood, the cultural offer it offers. Le Lavoir Moderne is a hotspot for emerging theatre, La Flèche d'Or a great rock hall, Tango is an institution of LGBT culture and Bataclan is a benchmark for contemporary music. Moreover, with the events of 2015, it takes on an even more important symbolism. »

Acquisition of land to create social housing

Anne Hidalgo's deputy insists on the desire of the City of Paris to offer its inhabitants a rich and varied cultural palette by keeping these places in operation: "These are places that often have an alternative and independent culture, so this It is not insignificant for them to fall into the hands of the public authorities, but it is sometimes the price of their survival. We want to continue to allow Parisians to benefit from this plurality and diversity. »

But this ambition is not without conditions and without limit according to Carine Rolland. “It has to be part of a broader policy, in the urban plan. Also, for the Tango, a real estate complex has been acquired. In addition to the commercial surface on the ground floor, eight apartments and more than 300 square meters of living space have been acquired and can be transformed into social housing. . Same thing for the modern Lavoir which should see these accommodations appear in the neighboring building, included in the acquisition.

More takeovers to come

It is this point that blocks for La Clef, in the 5th arrondissement. This arthouse cinema whose building has been put up for sale by the CSE of Caisse d'Epargne cannot be pre-empted by the town hall due to the impossibility of building above. “We continue to follow this file with the greatest attention and we support the action of the La Clef collective, which does a tremendous job of mediation, screenings and debates. »

If officially, no other file is open, according to the elected, other acquisitions will follow, the envelope of 10 million euros planned for the rescue and the repurchase of cultural places not being completely spent.