“The goal is to make it a place of service to the public but also a tourist spot. This Tuesday, Karen Taïeb, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of heritage, announced the color for the reopening of the Lavatory de la Madeleine. A goal that should not be too difficult to achieve as these underground toilets impress the guests for the occasion. Mahogany paneling and doors, ceramics, mosaics, these lavatories are unlike any other in the capital.
Located under the forecourt of the Madeleine church, they were built in 1905 by the Porcher-Revin establishments in an “Art Nouveau” style, similar to what was done in London at the end of the 19th century. But in 2011, and despite a classification as a Historic Monument, the Lavatory had to close its doors for lack of sufficient attendance (about 350 visits per day) to justify the maintenance of a maintenance worker and non-compliance with standards. accessibility for people with reduced mobility.
“Its reopening also responds to a need for toilets in a very busy district, where the only solutions were in cafes and restaurants, explains Jeanne D’Hauteserre, mayor of the 8th arrondissement, but it is also a place with architecture exceptional and worth the detour. Difficult to contradict the chosen one as the visitors are transported to the beginning of the 20th century. As soon as they enter, on the left, they will find the cabin for the reception and cleaning host (new formula, more elegant, of the “wee lady”), entirely in original wood, only the glazing has been redone.
Shoeshine chair and “lady pee” booth
It faces the shoe shiner’s chair, which once allowed you to put a “light touch” on your shoes, after a visit to the latrines. Original, too, as evidenced by the small counter which automatically recorded the passage of customers, it sits at the top of four small steps surrounded by a red cord to prevent visitors from climbing it. And for good reason, it should only serve as decoration. “There will be no shiner, confides Karen Taïeb, the profession hardly exists anymore. »
The toilets, on the other hand, will be very functional since all the piping has been redone to bring them up to standard and their users will be able to take advantage of spacious “women’s” toilet cabins, equipped with sinks, and closed by wooden doors surmounted by stained glass windows. .
Urinals will also be available in a corner of the Lavatory to satisfy the men, since their part was left to the availability of France Telecom in 1990, to become a technical room, today used by the RATP.
A delay due to the sealing of the forecourt
“The toilets and all contact points will be cleaned after each visit,” says Eric Salles, founder of Point WC, a branch of 2Theloo, who took charge of the restoration of the premises and won the concession for these toilets for ten years. A slightly more upscale service than that offered by the 750 sanisettes that the city already has and which will be charged 2 euros per person (with the possibility of taking out a loyalty card to reduce this price to 1 euro). In addition to toilets, the company will offer the sale of derivative products (colored toilet paper, personalized brushes), etc.
A culmination for the company, already in charge of four other Lavatories in Paris (Notre-Dame, Arc de Triomphe, Lamarck and Palais-Royal), and a relief for the town hall after a significant delay, the reopening should have taken place in 2018 A delay due to the difficulties encountered by the company after the fire of Notre-Dame but also to a problem of sealing observed at the level of the forecourt and “settled by the services of the City of Paris” assures Karen Taïeb.