This picturesque art-deco façade — made mainly of ceramic tiles — provides a welcome splash of color on the otherwise undistinguished Cours de Vincennes at the eastern end of Paris.
Zaengerler et Roussel was an enterprise that made tiles and mosaics. The company no longer exists (having gone bankrupt in 1938 during the great depression) but the façade has been preserved.
The three words under the window are Carrelage, Faïence, Mosaique, meaning “tiles, earthenware, mosaic”.
Zaengerler et Roussel, 29 Cours de Vincennes, Paris 20e
The Cours de Vincennes is a broad avenue that goes from Place de la Nation to Porte de Vincennes. From one line of buildings to the other, this avenue is nearly seventy-nine meters wide — ten meters wider than the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, if I have measured correctly. (Don’t worry, I didn’t measure it on the ground.)
Open-air markets are held on the Cours de Vincennes on some days, but otherwise the street is mainly a highway for motor vehicles.
My photos on this post are from 2011. I revised the text in 2021.
See more posts on the 20th arrondissement of Paris.
See also: the façade of the Baths of Chatêaudun in the 9th arrondissement of Paris.
‘Carrelage’ is a new word for me 🙂
I also had to look it up. Apparently it refers more to the action of laying the tiles, or to a surface made of tiles, rather than the tiles themselves. There is also a verb ‘carreler’ which means laying and cementing the tiles, as in a kitchen or bathroom (something I have never been involved with in France).
Beautiful. I thought at first that this was a painted mural but I assume after reading that it’s made from tiles. Last time I was in Paris, we stayed in Vincennes always taking the Metro or RER to get into Paris. Now I’m wondering about reaching centre-ville by walking someday down the Cours de Vincennes, although it sounds like there might be too much traffic.
Yes, it is all made of tiles, to show off their craftsmanship. I think walking the Cours de Vincennes would be somewhat boring, though I’ve done it by bicycle a few times.
I’ve just added five more words to the text, to make clear that the façade is made mainly of ceramic tiles.
What a lovely gem! I haven’t really checked out that part of Paris before, but it’s always a delight to discover lesser-known sites in an otherwise hyper-touristy city. Thanks for sharing!
The eastern parts of Paris (19th and 20th arrondissements) are not as touristy as the rest. (Except for the Pere Lachaise cemetery.)
My first thought was Venice
Unfortunately the rest of the street doesn’t look anything like Venice.