Look no further for the fountains that have disappeared from the Porte de la Chapelle.
They have been destroyed for many years.
The enigma was solved in a few seconds, Tuesday evening, during the council of the 18th arrondissement of Paris, by the voice of Antoine Dupont, deputy (EELV) to the road network of the mayor (PS), Eric Lejoindre.
Built in 1935, the two monumental Art Deco style sideboards, 20 tonnes in total, sat enthroned on either side of the crossroads until the early 2000s. Rectangular white stone sideboards, each adorned with three bronze masks representing heads of women and fauns, from which gushed the water which came to flow into a basin.
Filed for the construction of the tramway
The works were deposited, with a promise of reinstallation, during the requalification of Boulevard Ney in anticipation of the construction of the T3 tramway, by the former city councilor Daniel Vaillant (PS).
Since then, residents have tirelessly asked for news of the fountains and more since the establishment of public consultation, with a view to the 2024 Olympics.
It was Christian Honoré (Independents and progressives) who asked the question in the counseling session.
Before him, Pierre-Yves Bournazel, deputy (LREM) of the constituency, had questioned Emmanuel Grégoire, the first deputy of Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris.
Without answer.
So he had undertaken to search for the famous fountains.
The mascarons still sought after
Antoine Dupont's response: “I will not take four roads.
After discussions with the services, it turns out that these fountains were demolished a few years ago.
As for the mascarons, they would be kept in a room of the Department of green spaces (DEV), in the Eole park.
But all this remains to be verified.
"
The residents, they do not intend to let go: "We will go to the end, confirms Olivier Ansart, who heads the association for the redevelopment of northeast Paris. We expected these responses. From now on, our new fight is to recover the masks. But also to know what became of the stones of the sacrificed fountains. "
