A parking lot and garden will soon rise on the site of an impressive 20th-century red-brick mansion in Nogent-sur-Marne in Val-de-Marne (94). It’s a farewell to part of the city’s heritage. Heresy for the Mayor DVD Jacques Jean Paul Martin: “It is part of the city’s history and heritage that is disappearing.» Even the building architect of France confirmed the historical value of the site and spoke against the demolition of the building.
It is true that property is fragile. It has been supported by props for over 15 years. It is located on unstable clay-limestone soil that has led to cracks. The house was also in danger of collapsing, but the councilor commissioned a specialized design office, which concluded that the house could be stabilized. This was without taking into account the cost of the work, estimated at 150,000 or even 180,000 euros, a price too high for the Judicial Protection of Youth, the owner of the house since 1961. The premises, unused for years, no longer contain a home for juvenile delinquents, since the latter was moved to the outbuilding at the rear of the property. The house subsequently served as an administrative site, but today it is completely empty.
Zoning decision issued
However, the elected official from Nogent believed he had found a solution: pre-purchasing the property to finance the renovation work without the state having to put its hand in its pocket. He planned to set up social housing there, but this time the Youth Protection Court rejected it again. “I gave a negative opinion on the demolition. But the state is the master of its land. Just for the sake of elegance, we ask the mayor’s opinion», Jacques Jean-Paul Martin solves for Actu.fr.
In October 2020, the prefecture of Val-de-Marne granted a territorial decision for the judicial protection of youth on behalf of the state. The property thus disappears from the landscape. In its place, seven parking spaces and a garden will be visible. The date of the work is not yet known, but the demolition of the house is in full swing.