The heritage floors of the Maison de la Recherche have been restored to their former glory

21 October 2021

  • Foundation

  • Heritage

  • Institute

The heritage floors of the Maison de la Recherche have been renovated! In addition to restoring the damaged parts of the first floor mosaics dating from the late 19th century, the renovation company also restored the tiles in the 2nd floor corridor (east wing) and polished the mosaics and marble in the main staircase. These exceptional architectural features have now been restored to their former glory.
Sols en mosaïque avant et après leur rénovation
Mosaïques au sol avec le monogramme des Langues orientales (LO) avant et après leur restauration © Inalco‎

The historic site of Inalco, an 18th-century building, preserves remarkable heritage elements: floor mosaics, monumental grand staircase, ornate ceiling, chandeliers and ironwork in the former 2nd-floor salons, as well as a set of eight paintings and bas-reliefs.

In July 2020, the building was awarded the "Heritage of Regional Interest" label by the Île-de-France Region for all of these architectural elements.

Committed to the enhancement and heritage preservation of the historic building, the Inalco Foundation had launched a crowdfunding campaign in 2019. The sums raised from donors have now enabled the heritage floors to regain their lustre.

The grand staircase

Escalier d'honneur de la Maison de la recherche
Escalier d'honneur de la Maison de la recherche © Inalco‎

The grand staircase was designed by architect Louis Faure-Dujarric. This stone staircase features a railing encircled by arabesques and floral motifs, ending in a large bronze candelabra. It originally served the office of the administrator of the École des langues orientales, now the office of the vice-president of research.

The mosaics

Rénovation des sols en mosaïques de la Maison de la recherche
Dépose et repose de fragments de la mosaïque dans le respect de l'ouvrage original (sol du bâtiment C et vestibule d'entrée) © Inalco‎
Détail des mosaïques
Détail de la mosaïque avant et après restauration (sol du bâtiment C) © Inalco‎

The 2nd floor corridor tiles

Les carreaux du couloir du 2ème étage (aile est) après leur rénovation
Les carreaux du couloir du 2ème étage (aile est) après leur rénovation © Inalco‎