we summarize the controversy for you in four acts

A building of the Institut Curie, the Pavillon des Sources, was to be destroyed from Monday. But the Minister of Culture announced the suspension of work on Friday, after a mobilization of heritage defenders including host Stéphane Bern.

The fate of a building at the Institut Curie, a cancer research center in Paris, is causing controversy. The Pavillon des Sources, located in the 5th arrondissement, was to be destroyed from Monday January 8. This building, currently abandoned, served as “radioactive waste storage location” for Marie Curie, according to a press release from the Institute. But heritage defenders, including Stéphane Bern, launched an appeal to the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron. “It is not extraordinary architecture, but it is a symbolic, memorial heritage”declared the host on Thursday on France Culture.

The next day, Friday January 5, the Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak announced on the social network “demolition of the Pavillon des Sources”in order to study “any possible alternative”. Franceinfo returns to this controversy surrounding this site.

Act 1: Marie Curie’s warehouse

The Pavillon des Sources constitutes, with the Pavillon Pasteur and the Pavillon Curie, the large ensemble of the Institut Curie. This small beige brick building, built in the 20th century, was used to store raw materials useful for the research of Marie Curie, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry in 1911. But according to the Institute, the famous scientist “never worked” within the Pavillon des Sources, since its laboratory was located at the Pavillon Curie. The building at the heart of the controversy was “a former radioactive waste storage site, 100 m², now empty”specifies the foundation created in memory of the physicist. “It’s a laboratory that has never been used to carry out research work”supports Raphaël Rodriguez, researcher at the Institut Curie.

A square and a garden, including lime trees and plane trees, are located right next door. The garden was created in 1912 by Marie Curie, who maintained it herself for many years, as recounted on the Curie Museum website.

Act 2: a demolition permit, in March 2023

The Institut Curie had obtained a demolition permit from the City of Paris on March 24, 2023. The project aimed to raze the Pavillon des Sources to build a larger building, as part of an expansion of the Pierre-et-campus. Marie-Curie-Val-de-Grâce. This new five-story building, with approximately 2,000 m2 of surface area, is intended to house “the first center for biological chemistry on cancer in Europe”.

The Old Paris Commission, a municipal service dedicated in particular to the protection of heritage, has however issued an unfavorable opinion three times for this project. This Commission also requested the classification of the Marie Curie Radium Institute, including the Pavillon des Sources and its garden, the Pavillon Curie and the Pavillon Pasteur, as historic monuments by the Ministry of Culture. A request that was not followed.

Act 3: an outcry from heritage defenders

Associations of heritage defenders have mobilized in recent months against the project. SOS Paris estimated that the future building represented a danger for “century-old lime trees”, which the Institut Curie refutes. The Paris historique association had, for its part, requested a “classification instance”, according to comments relayed by AFP. A petition, launched on the change.org website to request the classification of the Pavillon des Sources as a historic monument, had however only collected around 700 signatures. Senator Les Républicains Catherine Dumas, for her part, denounced the destruction of trees “centenarians, wanted and planted by Marie Curie herself”.

Everything accelerated with Stéphane Bern speaking on Thursday on France Culture. “The opprobrium would fall on the Institut Curie”warned the host, saying to himself “mobilized” against the demolition of the Pavillon des Sources. Stéphane Bern, who says he has “exchanged by SMS” on the subject with Emmanuel Macron, also requested a “classification instance” For “find another solution”.

Act 4: Rima Abdul Malak suspends work, “alternatives” studied

The matter experienced a twist on Friday, with the announcement of the suspension of work by the Minister of Culture. “I spoke this morning with Thierry Philip, president of the Institut Curie. We agreed that he suspend the demolition of the Pavillon des Sources”wrote Rima Abdul Malak on X. This suspension should allow, according to the minister, to study “any possible alternative”. But then, should we understand that the construction of the new building will not take place? Contacted this Friday by franceinfo, the Institut Curie believes that the project “is not buried”but he must “evolve”.

The research center also says, in a press release published Friday, “aware of the excitement aroused among the defenders of memory”.