This Monday evening, the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, announced that the Pavillon des Sources, the laboratory of Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie, would be protected as historical monuments. Threatened with demolition, its use will now be “memorial and cultural”.
It will not be destroyed. In a press release, Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture, announced this Monday, November 25 that the Pavilion of Sourcesthe former laboratory of Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie, located in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, will be protected as historic monuments.
The mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris also specified that “the facades and volume of the Pavillon des sources will be preserved”.
“A memorial and cultural use”
In recent months, the future of this building, located in the Latin Quarter, has experienced several twists and turns. Some, including Thierry Philip, Marie Curie's grandson, were in favor of its demolition to build a new scientific center.
The Pavillon des Sources therefore found itself at the heart of a dispute between heritage defenders and supporters of the construction of a new building. The Minister of Culture announced at the end of January that it would not be destroyed, but moved “stone by stone”. Ultimately, the “encapsulation” solution was chosen.
The Pavillon des Sources will thus be assigned to “memorial and cultural use excluding any other use”, specifies the Ministry of Culture.
“It will pay tribute to the two founders of the Institut Curie, Marie Curie and Claudius Regaud, thanks to a modern museum tour and innovative scenography while presenting recent discoveries in the fight against cancer,” said the Institut Curie in April by press release.
The implementation of this project will involve decontamination work which will begin in mid-April and last three months, at a cost of 1.8 million euros.
