Why does the city not wish to present the work of its star architect Tony Garnier to Unesco?

In 50 or 70 years, what will remain of the work of architect Tony Garnier in Lyon? “The existing protections on certain buildings as historical monuments were not enough to prevent their transformation, or even their demolition”, observes Pierre Gras, the president of the prefiguration association of the Tony Garnier institute and doctor of history. Witness the Gerland stadium, which has retained only its four historic arches. Or the partially destroyed Gerland swimming pool, of which only the diving board and the bleachers were spared.

The buildings and buildings designed by the architect from Lyon will gradually become centenarians. The risk that they are not preserved in their entirety is significant, warns Pierre Gras. “We must act on the recognition of the work of Tony Garnier. Otherwise, it will weaken. It will fade,” he predicted. For this, the association has been campaigning for two years to have seven buildings listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Vacherie in the Parc de la Tête d’Or, the Halle Tony Garnier, the city of Catherine Garnier, the city of the States -united, the Gros villa, the Martinière-Diderot high school, as well as the Boulogne-Billancourt town hall.

A “precursor” who was “20 to 30 years ahead”

If the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs finds the file interesting and the municipality of Boulogne-Billancourt has already undertaken to support the project energetically, the city of Lyon is on the other hand much more timid, not to say reluctant. Strange when you know how much Tony Garnier shaped the city and structured it during the interwar period.

“He was one of the most important architects of his generation. He was a precursor who was 20 to 30 years ahead of the modern movement. He also greatly inspired Le Corbusier. He was an innovator in the field of concrete and left a considerable heritage legacy”, lists the researcher for whom Tony Garnier’s reputation goes well beyond the borders of Lyon.

“Turnaround” of elected environmentalists

Only, without the support of local authorities and the State, the association will not be able to present its case because it does not have the power to directly appeal to the international organization. “We feel that this is not a priority for the city of Lyon”, regrets Pierre Gras, surprised at the “turnaround” of the majority. During the municipal campaign, the environmental candidates, including Grégory Doucet, had undertaken to “highlight the monuments built” by its star architect.

“The constructions within the grounds of the Gerland stadium or the relegation of the pavilions to the Place des Pavillons are situations that are difficult to accept, against which we wish to fight”, they affirmed in a letter that 20 minutes was able to consult, formulating the promise to launch an “independent heritage study on the whole of the work” of Tony Garnier in order to “strengthen the current methods of protection” of the buildings.

But above all, the candidates then ensured “commitment” to launching a “multi-site” application for the registration of all of Garnier’s work as a UNESCO World Heritage Site”, in partnership with the city of Boulogne and with the support of the State.

A very long procedure without guarantees

Since then, months have passed. A global inventory of the many heritage studies relating to Tony Garnier’s creations in Lyon has been launched. They were considered “very qualitative and complete” by the City, with the exception of two of them concerning the Vacherie building and the Martinière-Diderot high school which will soon be the subject of an additional study. On the other hand, it is no longer a question of submitting a “multi-site” application.

“It turns out that the duration of the Unesco process does not guarantee immediate protection” of this heritage, responds the City of Lyon. The file will probably take years to be studied. “France already has 49 sites that are recognized and I believe that we have about forty in the queue. In the best of cases, this queue will be locked in about forty years, ”estimates the heritage assistant Sylvain Godinot in the columns of the Progress. For the chosen one, the “probability of success” is “almost nil”.

There is also no guarantee that this approach can provide long-term “protection” of buildings, or “means”, insists the municipal team which will invest 10 million euros in heritage by the end of the mandate. And to add: “We share the desire to protect this heritage but it does not depend solely on the City”. But to date, “the file is not supported by France”, underlines Sylvain Godinot.

Political will

Not enough to convince Pierre Gras who sees in these answers, “reluctance in principle. “What we lack is a word, a political will,” he laments, however lucid about the length of the procedure. “We don’t expect to be classified in the next five years, but building a file can help us protect all this heritage. This is our priority, he insists. Unesco is a business card, a lever for discussions. This can change the way we look at Tony Garnier’s work. We really need to get to know the richness of this heritage”. Otherwise, it will probably be too late, he predicts one last time.

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