I like right off the bat tell you this is an updated older post of another icon of my eternal Paris. I know it very well having my last work office nearby before moving to the Morbihan 56 and then passing by it every month on my world HQ near the Eiffel tower as Montparnasse was/is my entry point to Paris for the last several years. I will tell a bit more on the monumental Tour Montparnasse of Paris !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Tour Montparnasse tower, also known as the Maine-Montparnasse tower, is the highest skyscraper in Paris, located in the Necker neighborhood (quartier) of the 15éme district (arrondissement) of Paris. Its height, 209 meters was inaugurated in 1973. It is on the axis of the Boulevard de Vaugirard, at the limit with the 14éme arrondissement and specifically the quartier or neighborhood of Montparnasse from which it takes its name. The location is more exactly pinpoint as it is on the axis of Boulevard Edgar-Quinet and with the 6éme district on the axis of Rue de Rennes. It is part of the extension of the axis created by the Palais de Chaillot, the Trocadéro, the Eiffel Tower, the Champ-de-Mars and the école militaire, in parallel with the historical axis. It has the Cedex 75 755 (post office box), and its official physical address is 33, avenue du Maine. However, it is also framed by the rue de Départ , rue de l’Arrivée , boulevard du Montparnasse and the place of 18-Juin-1940. It is separated from the Gare de Montparnasse by the place Raoul-Dautry. It is served by the Montparnasse-Bienvenüe metro station with lines 4, 6, 12 and 13 and by numerous bus lines such as the 28, 58, 82, 88, 89, 91, 92, 94, 95 and 96. It was/is my entry point into Paris almost every month for the last several years since living in the Morbihan of the region of Bretagne.
A bit of history I like, condense as it can be longer. The reconstruction of the Gare Montparnasse station a few hundred meters south of the old and the destruction of the station of Maine, created a project that was carried out in June 1966 to spring 1969. The decision to build a shopping center was finally made in 1969. It is in April 1970 that the first stone is laid. The tower was inaugurated in 1973 on the site of the old Montparnasse railway station. The foundation of the tower consists of 56 pillars of reinforced concrete sinking to 70 meters underground. For urban planning purposes, the tower must be built just above a metro/subway line; and to avoid using the same support and weakening it, the structures of the metro/subway are protected by a reinforced concrete bodice. On the other hand, long horizontal beams are placed in order to allow to clear the necessary space in the basement to develop the tracks for trains.
In June 2016, an international architect competition “Montparnasse Tomorrow” is launched by the EITMM( city project architect consortium) in order to modernize and transform the tower by 2024. The project chosen aims to make the skyscraper bright and transparent in contrast to its present dark and austere façade, much decried, and to add several green spaces to rearrange its forecourt and to add a greenhouse of 18 meters high, Carrying the skyscraper at 229 meters in height. The tower should also consume ten times less energy. The building will thus be partially self-contained in energy, thanks in particular to a double skin façade, to the rainwater recovery system on the overflow and mirrors. The 40 000 m2 of the old dark mirrors will be re-used, such as signs for example, and partially recycled in furniture.
Description of the tower at best by the amateur yours truly: The tower has 7 200 windows for 40 000 m2 of facade. It weighs 130 000 tons, has 6 underground levels and 58 floors of 1 700 m2 on average each, all topped by a rooftop terrace. With 30 000 m2 of shops and 100 000 m2 of offices (representing 12 to 13 000 offices), the Montparnasse Tower is the first European real estate complex. In addition to its five cargo elevators/lifts, the building has 25 elevators/lifts, each serving only a group of floors. The fastest is the one that connects the ground floor to the 56th floor without a stop, at an altitude of 196 meters, in only 38 seconds, which reached a speed of 6 m/s, or 22 kph, but reduced to 5 m/s (1.5 floor/s) since 2009 , with a more gradual acceleration. The 56th floor, equipped with a panoramic bar and restaurant, as well as the 59th floor terrace, which can only be reached by stairs, are accessible to tourists, allowing to enjoy an interesting view of Paris at 360 °.
It also includes two smaller towers: Building C: 12 floors. Often referred to as the acronym CIT (for the International Textile Center) because, being divided into small open areas on the traffic corridors, it had been thought to accommodate the show rooms and showcases of textile traders; But the latter gradually left the tower at the end of the 1970’s, and the exhibition surfaces were replaced in 1999 by more standard offices; and the Express tower or building D, along the rue de l’Arrivée. At the base of the ensemble is a shopping center ,Montparnasse Rive gauche with, among other brands, the department store Galeries Lafayette Montparnasse. The different elements of this set are interdependent, connected to each other in the basement.
The open space for the public, called the Panoramic Observatory of the Montparnasse Tower, belongs to the company Montparnasse 56 which manages the visits. The Observatory offers a panorama of all Paris. This unique viewpoint overlooking Paris is located at 200 meters above sea level and offers a view to 360 ° on the capital up to 40 km away day and night when the weather conditions are favorable. In particular it is possible to see the planes take off from Orly Airport at more than 13.5 km away.
The site offers two levels of visit: The 56th floor, covered, with numerous facilities to better understand the city and its history: kiosks and interactive panoramas, exhibition of historical photos of Paris. This level also offers a bar and a souvenir shop. And, the open-air terrace of 800 m2 (59th floor) has been designed to make the most of the breathtaking view of Paris via large glass windows. A champagne bar is open in the Summer.
Some numbers at you, work finally began end of 1969 and lasted until end of 1972. It took the destruction of the old train station, and foundation work took away much of the concrete around it with the construction of 56 pillars or columns of 70 meters deep ( 231 ft). All needed to support a weigh of 115K tons! The metro structures were surrounded by walls of concrete in the middle of 2,3 hectares or 5.7 acres. The tower is 209 meters high (690 ft) and has 58 floors of 2,000 m2 each. It is capped by a terrace on the 59th floor with a magnificent view of Paris. It , also, count with a shopping center of 5 floors located between the tower and rue de Rennes ; the basement has an excellent underground parking space. Right off my street Rue de Départs you go into the Montparnasse rive gauche shopping center, last read awaiting renovations and most stores gone. All around a historical area wonderful walks all day. On the other side of the above on Rue de l’Arrivée you have more stores not to mention those inside the Gare Montparnasse. The whole area was undergoing new design the Maine Montparnasse area ,stay tune. On the 56th floor, you can enjoy an impressive view of the city, protected by huge windows. In addition to the breathtaking view, you can also learn more about Paris through interactive multimedia installations, or immerse yourself in the city’s past by discovering the exhibition of old photos of Paris. On the 59th floor ,from the top of this observatory, it is possible to enjoy the view without any glass that would spoil the quality of your photos. the Tour Montparnasse Tower has another significant advantage: that of being able to observe the Tour Eiffel Tower from the top of its terrace on the top floor. And not only that but wonderful views of the Champs-de-Mars, Montmartre afar and its Sacré-Coeur, Louvre museum, and the wonderful cupola or Dôme des Invalides, and the still memorable Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the jardin du Luxembourg, and the towers of la Défense business district with its Arche de la Défense. A visit that is a must and recommended.
In 1972, The last Tango in Paris (Le Dernier Tango à Paris ), film by Bernardo Bertolucci, with Marlon Brandon and Maria Schneider shows the tower under construction in the middle of old Paris. And the reason first ever visit Paris by yours truly and part of the name of my blog today!!! ok Paris1972-
The official Tour Montparnasse: https://www.tourmontparnasse56.com/en/
The Paris tourist office on the Tour Montparnasse : https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum-monument/71385/Observatoire-panoramique-de-la-Tour-Montparnasse
There you go folks, this is indeed another icon of Paris, why we all come and some stay…. Paris is a moveable feast said Hemingway, and I say France is a mouvable feast . Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Tour Montparnasse of Paris !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 