The basin was designed by André Le Nôtre at the end of the seventeenth century. Over the decades, this large decorative ensemble had gradually disappeared from the landscape.
The project to reconstitute the large basin was born with the creation of the terminus of the 13 Express, under the large parterre. The City of Saint-Germain and the Heritage Foundation launched a subscription to finance this structure, only a few tens of centimeters above the connecting corridor leading to RER station.