Le Figaro Nice
From decrepit walls to modern tapestry, from stone beds to cozy mattresses, from dark rooms to bright penates, there will be a few hammer and brush strokes to give. By the end of 2024, the former prison of Grasse will be rehabilitated as a residence for students. At the maneuver of such a project of 4.5 million euros, the private promoter MJ Développement. He will be responsible for restoring a soul to these buildings, which housed detainees until 1992. The building had been bought by individuals who developed events there until 2017. New owners have now owned the premises for a month.
The transformation promises to be total, to the point that it will be difficult to see the traces of an old prison. Perhaps still in the architectural configuration of the hall of the old men's building, which will be preserved. Two cells together will be used to create a studio, fully equipped. The former women's building will be destroyed and rebuilt. 77 dwellings are imagined, half of which will be located between the historic walls of the prison. The other rooms will be in the new building. The rooms will measure between 14 and 23 m2, details the project.
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This work is part of the political line of the mayor of Grasse, Jérôme Viaud (Les Républicains), to revitalize his city by youth. Last February, the first magistrate inaugurated his "Grasse campus" within the walls of the old courthouse. 450 students in four courses are now working there, and the numbers will increase in the coming years (2000 young people in training in Grasse are expected). "The youth must reclaim the old city", assumed the mayor in our columns.
This project is therefore part of the continuity of its impulse, even if it means shaking up the ambient tranquility of the city. To carry out this repair, the developer had to collaborate with the buildings of France so as not to distort the facades and keep a piece of history.
