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aris is a city where all the great hang outs are
almost always clustered at a small section of
a street. No reason, really. It’s just like that.
Take rue de Charonne: it’s trendy – but trendy
in a Parisian sort of way, by which we mean
not all of it. The part of the street that’s cool runs from
No. 1 to 50, from Faubourg Saint-Antoine to avenue
Ledru-Rollin. Why? Anybody’s guess.
But before we start our walk, let’s step back in time
for a moment. Rue de Charonne is one of the oldest
streets in Paris. At the beginning of the 17thcentury it
led to Charonne, a village of vineyards and farmers,
swallowed up by the city in 1860. When you understand
the importance of vineyards and wine to the city’s
economy, it’s not surprising that life took root here, with
its workshops and craftsmen, and its reputation for hard work and
fast living. Some houses, but especially its passageways, are a living
record of past glories.
Start at the end of the street, on the corner of Faubourg-Saint-
Antoine, with the Trogneux fountain, named after a brewer and listed
as a historic monument since 1995. Standing at the street corner with
its imposing pilaster-and-molding façade, topped with a triangular
pediment in pure Louis XV style, it
steps seamlessly into line with its
neighbors. The only clue to its
former use are two small bronze
lion’s heads with gaping mouths
that look as if they’ve been thirsty
for a very long time. Never mind:
there are plenty of places where you
can quench your thirst and your
curiosity further along the street.
At no. 5, for example, behind the
bars of a gate, lies our first curiosity:
Saint Joseph’s courtyard, fashioned
by buildings constructed between
1764 and 1794, and used as
workshops, long a source of localpride. It was here that carpenters, furniture restorers and cabinet makers
had the upper hand. Today they’ve been replaced by fashion stores
and design outlets, but they’ve clearly left behind a legacy of freedom,
innovation and entrepreneurship, at least if the crowds that mill along
these peaceful pavements are anything to go by. A few minutes further
down the street are two very old houses. At no. 37, a porch opens onto
one of the private passageways that give the capital its charm, complete
with a lush forest of plants and trees, cats purring in the sun, and small
time-worn workshops. Although Charonne’s revival stops at avenue
Ledru-Rollin, it’s worth pushing through the doors of the Bistrot du
Peintre, with its art nouveau front and original 1905 décor, where a
sign under glass still reads: “Jean Pierre’s: wines, liqueurs, beers, coffees,
billiards”. Pressing on, at no. 51-53, pause to admire the gorgeous
Hôtel de Mortagne, built in 1661. It once belonged to the duke Antoine
de Mortagne, first equerry to the duchesse d’Orléans, then to Jacques
de Vaucanson, inventor and engineer, who built most of his machines
here, including his looms. This is important because, in 1783 Louis XVI
bought it to house the royal office of mechanical works, predecessor
to the capital’s musée des Arts et métiers.
With such a history behind it, it’s not surprising that this end of
the street, home to craftsmen and designers for centuries, is bouncing
back with new ideas and practices, but always with the same style:
cheerful, creative and loyal to its prestigious past.■PROMENADE
RUE DE CHARONNE
goes bourgeois-bohème
Once a working-class district famed for its carpentry workshops, rue de Charonne
has edged up the social scale since its first trendy stores opened in the 2010s. And the only
way is up, it seems. Tragically hit by last November’s murderous attacks,
the neighborhood is healing its wounds, with life and business now back to normal. So why
not join Paris Capitale on a stroll? We know all the best places... V. B. Photos: S. S.圀漀爀氀搀䴀愀最猀⸀渀攀琀圀漀爀氀搀䴀愀最猀⸀渀攀琀