Museum
"Bring in the architects": third episode of the web documentary on the museum makeover
The aim of the web documentary is to tell the story of the museum revamp and keep a record of the work, and also to share the key stages with Institut Pasteur staff, heritage professionals and the public – all those interested in this project combining heritage and scientific culture. After the transfer of the museum collections (details in the previous episode), this third episode focuses on the process to restore the historical building, with the teams of architects and the contracting authority.
Upholding Pasteurian heritage
The project is particularly complex because it involves a building that has been listed since 1981. The main aim is to maintain the authenticity of the site rather than creating something "new." It is a restoration, not a renovation!
The building, which Louis Pasteur referred to as his "working residence," contains three parts: two parallel wings linked by a gallery. It includes:
Louis and Marie Pasteur's apartment, where Marie continued to live after the death of her husband, until 1910, as well as the rooms of Louis Pasteur's close colleagues. In its very early days, the Institut Pasteur had thirteen staff members who researched, taught, treated patients and lived on site.
A spacious gallery over three floors, with large windows reflecting the hygienist architectural style of the building.
Research laboratories, two classrooms and the Rabies Department, where people who had been bitten would come to be vaccinated.
This building project is carried out by the contractor and lead firm, the agency Lagneau architectes and AFE architecture, under the responsibility of the contracting authority, the DRSE-RT and the Real Estate and Technical Department, in conjunction with the museum team for the museology aspects.
From initial analysis to building work
Working on a historical monument takes time and requires detailed prior analysis. A stratigraphic survey was conducted to reveal the original interior design. The survey was undertaken by the agency Studiolo – find out more in the web documentary episode (click on the photo below):
You can also see the other web documentary videos on the Pasteur Museum Instagram page or on YouTube.
Support the restoration of Louis and Marie Pasteur's appartment
Louis and Marie Pasteur's appartment is a cultural and historical heritage site that must be preserved. Louis and Marie Pasteur spent their final years in this apartment, from February 1889 onwards. The rooms, conserved in their original state, offer a glimpse of the global reputation of the scientist, who had become the "benefactor of humanity" with his rabies vaccine in 1885, and also the daily life of a bourgeois household in the late 19th century. The apartment includes the "scientific souvenir room," created in 1938 to display Louis Pasteur's scientific instruments and laboratory glassware. Louis Pasteur, who died in 1895, was buried with his wife in the neo-Byzantine-style crypt in the same historical building where he had spent his last years. The former apartment, now the Pasteur Museum, was recognized under the "Maisons des Illustres" scheme in 2012.
The Fondation du Patrimoine, a private French organization with recognized charitable status that aims to safeguard and promote the country's heritage, is supporting the Institut Pasteur. To help raise the funds needed to restore Louis and Marie Pasteur's apartment, the Fondation du Patrimoine has launched an online appeal. The total cost of the work to restore the apartment and Pasteur Museum is estimated at €2,600,000.
The online appeal will go towards funding several parts of the work:
- Stage 1: €100,000 to restore the artworks and furniture in the apartment;
- Stage 2: €100,000 to restore all the textiles (curtains, ornamental trimmings, rugs, cushions, etc.) that decorate all the rooms in the apartment;
- Stage 3: €100,000 to restore the original wallpaper dating from 1888.
The aim is to fully open this major heritage site to the public in November 2028, coinciding with the Institut Pasteur's 140th anniversary. The online appeal will help fund the restoration of the apartment which offers a glimpse into the daily life of Louis and Marie Pasteur.
Access the online appeal