Le Grand Quartier and Its History
The address at 15 Rue de Nancy has not always been home to Le Grand Quartier. Its story is a fascinating journey through the history of the neighborhood.
In the 16th century, Rue des Marais—named after its location above the former bed of the River Seine—extended all the way to the Faubourg du Temple. In 1859, the street was divided in two with the opening of Boulevard de Magenta. The section between Boulevard de Magenta and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin was renamed Rue de Nancy in 1930.
From the late 19th century onward, the building successively housed a luxury cardboard packaging company, a rubber manufacturing business, and later Société Lingère, a producer of embroidery and lace.
During the First World War, 95 bis Rue des Marais was used by the Central Office for Maternal and Infant Welfare, which distributed milk to mothers and young children.
The building at 95 Rue des Marais—now our hotel—provided access to the courtyard and was home to transportation companies such as Hernu, Peron & Co. Ltd. Another logistics company, Danzas (which later became DHL), occupied the premises until the 1980s. This history explains the unusually wide entrance archway: originally designed to allow trucks to enter the courtyard, it now welcomes travelers instead.
The two buildings were eventually combined into a single property. A bank later occupied the premises with private offices not open to the public. The entire complex was subsequently acquired and transformed into Le Grand Quartier, following renovation works that added two additional floors on the Rue de Nancy side.
The building still bears a distinctive “W” above the central window on the first floor, a tribute to François de Wendel, the property's first owner.
This historical account has been made possible thanks to the research of André Krol for Histoire & Vie du 10ème. For more information, please visit www.lejournalduvillagesaintmartin.fr.