Four years late and savings
2019. The study is completed. The building permit ready to be submitted. Yet…
Four years late and savings
2019. The study is completed. The building permit ready to be submitted. However, nothing. Only a meager scaffolding appears. At the time, the project cost €586,000 excluding taxes (excluding tax). A sum considered exorbitant by many. “ Wouldn’t it cost less to remove it and refinish it in gold than to restore it? », joked an Internet user under the Facebook publication of Charente Libre in 2019. Ultimately, the sum was not spent.
Even leaning, the Tower of Pisa does not threaten to collapse.
Four years later, the architect was replaced, the project modified and the sum reduced. €361,000 excluding taxes, including €197,210 at the expense of the City – €98,000 for the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC) and €65,000 for the Department. “ At the end of 2019, the director of the city’s design and architect office told me : « There may be simpler and cheaper options. » I asked Denis Dodeman for a first thought – who worked on the restoration of the facade of Angoulême Cathedral – and we arrived at this second project », explains Pascal Monier.
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During the four years, the site was monitored to the millimeter. “ There was no immediate risk. Even leaning, the Tower of Pisa does not threaten to collapse. In the wind, it only moved in micrometers “, we swear at the town hall. A monitoring device costing €20,000 each year.
What will the work look like?
Staring in front of the work, looking up to the sky, Gérard Lefèvre, deputy for culture, exclaims: “ I have the impression that it’s Notre-Dame-de-Paris, right? »The chosen one will be able to enjoy the show until the end of February.
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After a month and a half of installing the scaffolding, it’s time for the real work at the beginning of November. “ We will act on the cause of the problemexplains Denis Dodeman, chief architect. It comes from the ranks [les crans d’une sorte d’échelle, NDLR] inside which have rusted, take up more space and move the structure which now has an oval shape. At the top, the displacement is 50 cm. »
At the top, a plate with spacers will be installed to prevent condensation and corrosion.
Photo Quentin Petit
It’s ugly, take it off.
In March, the chimney will still be leaning. The goal is only to prevent it from falling. “ It will be necessary to remove these rungs, passivate them (treatment which prevents corrosion) and rest them”, points out Denis Dodeman. At the same time, a plate will be installed above to limit condensation and the deposit of salt which damages the materials. The pedestal will be reinforced. Cleaning will be carried out inside and out. Bricks in poor condition will be replaced. To avoid an accentuation of the ovalization, spacers will be installed. “ It’s like a corset for a teenager », image the architect. Stability will continue to be measured. This time with a much less expensive device.
Destroying was forbidden
“It’s ugly, take it off”proposed another Internet user under our Facebook publication in 2019. If the elected officials claim to be “ attached to the industrial history of Angoulême » and that these 34 m of bricks “ are part of the city’s image » ; destroying the chimney was especially prohibited by law. “ Since 2015, it has been a building listed as Historic Buildings and which requires protection. », Certifies Fabien Chazelas, head of department at the Regional Conservatory of Historic Monuments. Which was not the case with the Tourgarnier chimney destroyed at the end of 2021.
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Owner since 1979, the City also considered the possibility of planing the building. “ Also impossible », replies Fabien Chazelas.
Removing the chimney was impossible.
Quentin Petit
« From now on, it must become an important place in Angoulême », commits Gérard Lefèvre. A small garden, with a few tobacco plants, a handkerchief tree and explanatory panels recalling the history of the stationery (see box) and the work is planned. The Notre-Dame square will wait.
In dates
1791. Saint-Cybard Abbey becomes a factory.
1860. Having become a paper factory, Papeterie Lacroix invested in a cigarette paper factory. The fireplace dates from the end of the 19th century.
1887. The Le Nil brand, cigarette paper, is registered and flourishes for many years.
1948. The chimney is surrounded. For several years, it had been deforming and starting to lean.
1970. Permanent cessation of production.
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