La Piscine

Roubaix, a town in northern France, was a major textile center and grew tremendously during the 19th century. People flocked to the area for work in the factories and as the population grew, then-mayor Jean-Baptiste Lebas commissioned architect Albert Baert to construct “the most beautiful pool in France” so the workers, who had no running water in their small, shack-like homes, could have a place to bathe. He chose Baert not only for prior experience in building public pools (in Lille and Dunkirk) but for Baert’s progressive, Leftist ideals and the fact that he was a Freemason.

Constructed between 1927 and 1932, the pool was far more than just a pool. It was based on the Abby at Cluny and featured four wings with a restaurant, salon, showers and a chapel surrounding a cloister and garden. Of course the central feature was the main Art Deco hall and Olympic sized pool itself, decorated in mosaics evoking the waves in the antique works of Japanese artist Hokusai (1760-1849).


The pool closed in 1985 but thankfully was not demolished. The town loved it too much and architect Jean-Paul Philippon remodeled the pool into Le musée d'Art et d'Industrie de la ville de Roubaix, also known simply as La Piscine (“the pool” in French). It opened in 2000 and houses a collection of 19th and 20th century textiles (naturally), sculpture (including works by Rodin and Henri Fantin Latour), paintings, porcelain and ceramics (featuring many pieces by Picasso and contemporary works by Ettore Sotsass and Phillipe Starck) and glass. The centerpiece of the museum is, naturally, the pool. The architects filled in the outer portion of the pool but left a long stream running down the center, along with the Head of Neptune fountain and the lovely stained glass windows (representing the rising and setting sun) above it all. The second photo is a screen capture of the virtual tour of the museum one can see at their website (link at bottom).


Mayor Lebas, who was a man with a beautiful spirit, joined the resistance during World War II but was captured by German forces in 1941. He died in a concentration camp in 1944. I can’t help but think that Monsieur Lebas would be delighted and proud to see his pool turned into something as beautiful and charming as a repository of culture and art.http://www.roubaix-lapiscine.com/