Les Frigos

     LesFrigos             

Not all of Paris is postcard-pretty. This was a kind of dumpy area that was undergoing renovation at the time I took this photo, some years ago. Today it is almost completely different.

The building on the left, which still stands today and dates from 1920, is “Les Frigos,” a former storage depot for refrigerated goods (whence the nickname) that was abandoned in 1971 when the Paris food markets were moved out to the suburb of Rungis. In 1985, artist squatters moved into the building illegally and set up studios. Eventually their occupancy was legitimized and they began paying rent, and it became a trendy place for art and culture, which it mostly still is today.

As for the large rail yard, that is long gone, and the entire area has been completely renovated and gentrified with modern buildings, parks, etc.

This photo was taken on the rue Neuve Tolbiac … although the neighborhood has been so completely transformed that, for several years, I wasn’t sure of the spot where I took it.

Undated photograph.