Sunday 5 August 2012

Habitation à bon marché

This building between Chantiers and Porchefontaine neighbourhoods is an 'habitation à bon marché', literally translated as: 'inexpensive housing'. It was the ancestor of the current HLM (habitation à loyer modéré or rent controlled housing). It also used to house the 'maison des anciens combattants' or war veterans association premises.

Cet immeuble d'habitations à bon marché, entre Porchefontaine et Chantiers, est donc un ancêtre des HLM. Il abritait manifestement également la maison des anciens combattants.

16 comments:

Lowell said...

I clicked on the link...these high rises remind me of the massive public housing developments that were constructed back in the 60s in this country. They were a disaster - still are, what's left of them, although for many people they were home and better than nothing.

Now, there's a push to provide lower rises, green space, etc. Hope that works better.

I really have no answers; it's a huge problem and evidently the French experience is similar to ours.

Re the mail truck: that's our son-in-law's truck. He delivers a route that is mostly rural and is not provided a truck. He bought this from a company in Japan. Right-hand drive - very much needed when delivering mail...so far, it's worked out well. He does receive compensation for using his own vehicle, though.

Re you comment on Ocala: You should know you have put a terrible image in my mind and I don't know how I'm going to get rid of it!!! ;-))

Wayne said...

Way better than their US counterparts. Every few years, you seen ours being demolished. This one looks recently renovated.

Sylvia K said...

Oh, I agree with Woody!! Way better than the US version for sure! Hope your weekend is going well!

Michelle said...

Seriously, this does look better than our US version.

Randy said...

Nice looking complex.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

It may not be the Ritz, but these apartments must be a life saver for so many people, and somehow that blue Versailles sky makes everything look so much more appealing oui!
p.s. my knee is getting beyond a joke, methinks I may have to see a surgeon soon, not happy!!!

Malyss said...

L'immeuble a l'air ancien mais renové. On ne voit absolument pas de briques rouges par ici, alors pour moi il évoque irresistiblement le nord..

Halcyon said...

That's one of the nicest HLM I've ever seen. Glad Versailles is trying to get it right! :)

cieldequimper said...

@ all: these are buildings built between the two World Wars and are the ancestors of current public housing developments. In those days they were really nice, then came the after WWII period when horrors were built. Today the mistakes of the 1960s and 1970s have made way to more human and reasoned habitats. Most new public housing developments nowadays are pretty nice again...

Birdman said...

This photo looks to be on a 'coin' too. Thanks for the help with my struggling French. Ha!

Clueless in Boston said...

There's always a need for inexpensive housing, in every country. These do look rather nice.

BaysideLife said...

I love that this old building is being used to provide new housing for people. It's a great building.

VP said...

Ours are not so nice...

Cezar and Léia said...

It's a nice building and what I have seen in Brazil is a little bit different, not so nice :)
Leia

EG CameraGirl said...

Low-cost housing? It looks to be in pretty good condition, if you ask me. Where;s the graffiti?

LONDONLULU said...

This looks a really nice building - but as other posters noted, the HLM link does describe something like the terrible housing projects in the US from the 60s/70s. Luckily I think they're trying to do better with these projects now in the US too.

(Oh, I fear that poor leafless tree I posted last week is destined for chopping - it's mostly dead wood, likely due to some tree blight, poor tree!)