Marseille is an old city dating from Greek Antiquity when it was called Massilia and was a harbor on the Mediterranean Sea. Thanks to trade and its location between the Eastern and the Western world Marseille has become an important place. Influenced by many civilizations, the City has been built, destroyed and rebuilt through the centuries. This juxtaposition of styles and types of architecture is particularly visible in the center of Marseille. Buildings dating from the Haussmann time stand alongside buildings from the late sixties, like Belsunce also called the "center bourse", highlighting the transformation in the architecture that characterizes Marseille. At the end of the twentieth century, "Le Panier" an old part of the historic city was restored. Inhabited by many immigrants, this quarter was deserted by the wealthiest population and became an unsanitary place.
[...] But before speaking about this edifice now and its function in this area, let's begin with the study of the hospice. Inside the “Vieille Charité” The “Vieille Charité” was built in 1670 by Pierre Puget who was one of the king's architects. Because of a royal law concerning the imprisonment of the poor and the homeless, the municipality of Marseille decided in 1640 to build a hospice. They had a suitable site to build this kind of building on the Butte des Moulins (le Panier). [...]
[...] Indeed a façade cover with a bad lime coat or without respecting the process could be quickly damaged. Nowadays the knowledge related to such materials and techniques has been lost. For instance some conditions like a high level of humidity must be respected before applying the lime coat to improve the quality of the work and its permanence. One of the main roles of such organisms like the “atelier du Patrimoine de la Ville de Marseille” is to fight against the disappearance of this knowledge and to provide training in order to keep this skill alive. [...]
[...] The floors and its vaults reduce from the bottom up to the top to rub out the impression that the building will fall on the man who looking up at it. The three storeys are toped by a fourth tiny row surmounted by a roof. (Aisles of the building) The building has a serene look and it was probably the aim of the architect because of the function dedicated to this edifice. However the whole structure causes a troubled impression, which is why it could be considered as a baroque building. [...]
[...] Finally I will explain how the reinvestment in Panier” and in its cultural heritage is part of the strategy deployed by the municipality of Marseille in this project of a new inner city. The first point I am going to deal with is the restoration and the improvement of buildings. As mentioned in the introduction, this part of Marseille was the oldest part of the city but has not kept the traces of the Greek or Roman civilization apart from the streets which are quite small and don't allow people to circulate but on foot. [...]
[...] The question of heritage is omnipresent and cannot be put aside because it is one of the points most discussed among urban specialists. To define architectural heritage it is compulsory to distinguish some elements that make the monument remarkable or special. So what are the main architectural details which should be preserved during the restoration of the area? The framework of the atelier du Patrimoine de la Ville de Marseille is especially interesting to point out the specificities which exist (Don't understand this sentence) Indeed the façades were built and covered in a certain way that does not exist anymore elsewhere in the city. [...]
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