43 rue des Couronnes

The apartment building on the rue des Couronnes by Charlet and Perrin is out of the way but well worth a trip.

The building won a prize from the city of Paris for its facade in 1905. This is what the jury had to say then:

“The jury was very interested by the combination of the most ordinary materials with stone. This gives an overall effect that is both simple and recherché, and makes it possible to achieve good-looking streets in modest residential neighborhoods.” (my very rough translation)

By “the most ordinary materials”, the jury meant brick. Among Paris building facades that won prizes in the early 1900s, many used brick, which compared to an all-stone building would have lowered construction costs and allowed for artistry.  Prizewinning architects often used brick to achieve structural or visual effects that wouldn’t have been possible in stone.

This having been said, for this reader the operative word in the jury’s comments is: combination. What interested the jury was not only how “the most ordinary materials” were used, but especially how brick was combined with stone. In this building, stone is used to frame the entry door, to frame windows, and as ornamentation. For this visitor, what’s remarkable is how stone is used merely to suggest the idea of an apartment building, or to signal to passersby that this is a proper apartment building.

The jury also made a comment that seems to have been pressing and prominent in 1905: architecture –good architecure– is for everybody. Whether moved by égalité or fraternité, the best-facade jury sought out and rewarded modest buildings situated in popular neighborhoods.

The rue des Couronnes is in the 20th arrondissement, usually thought of as working class and lacking tourist attractions. When I first saw the building at 43 rue des Couronnes, I thought of Amélie Poulin: it looks like a holdover (or transplant) that time forgot. The building is alone, bordered on one side by a park and on the others by groups of postwar buildings. Whereas number 43 is on the street, with a sidewalk and stores, its neighbors seem embarrassed or ashamed: they huddle at a remove from the street.

Of all the buildings that won a prize from the city of Paris for their facade, I think this one was most worth the trip.
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