Casino de la Faïencerie

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

"Under the impetus of Paul de Geiger, who directed the enterprise from October 1871 to 1913, the faience works of Sarreguemines became one of the most important manufactures in Europe, employing 3250 people in 1907. For the attention of the part of its personnel exiled after the 1870 war, he created the works at Digoin (1877) and Vitry-le-François (1881), by the same token penetrating the French market. Attached to human issues, he created the Saint-Paul Institution, developed social facilities, the workers' housing estate and built the Casino, originally called 'La Réunion'. The aim was to provide employees with a place of leisure while diverting them from frequenting cafés. In 1878, he had a first building erected on the right bank of the Sarre, near the works. It contained notably a library, games rooms and gymnastics rooms. As the premises proved to be cramped, a new construction was erected in 1890 in addition to the previous one, housing a large concert and dance hall. In the interval, in 1880, Paul de Geiger had erected to the north of the estate, a pavilion bearing his arms. This pavilion, pierced with a wide carriage entrance, still marks the access to what has remained a vast leisure area. The painter Alex Sandier, of Paris, adorned the west façade with frescoes comprising an allegory of the faience works, whose local production decorated largely the buildings that were heated by imposing stoves. The Casino welcomed the annual company celebration, 29 June the feast day of Saint-Paul, following a procession through the streets of the town. The buildings also served as company restaurant until their purchase in 1979 by the commune. Ravaged by fire on 28 January 1959, the wing of 1878 had to be rebuilt. Restructured on the basis of a project worked out in 1983, the premises became a congress centre. If the interiors retain only a limited part of the old structures, and if the gallery of the wing of 1890 received new mural decoration of faiences, the wing of 1878 has recovered the spirit of the original timber framing which embellished the upper floor, disappeared after the fire of 1959 which however spared the nearby music kiosk, from around 1900. While the main building of the Casino of 1878 is neo-classical tinged with regional eclecticism, the Geiger pavilion of 1880 refers to French eclecticism of the 17th century. The large body of 1890 borrows from the Germanic eclecticism of the same period, tempered by the classicism of the general scheme, while managing to integrate a surprising piece of spa architecture which, in the end, characterizes the composition."