If you live in Seine-Saint-Denis and you’re a swimming enthusiast, you’ll surely know this place. Opened in 1975, the Marville pool has long been a landmark of the department, with its inverted concrete-shell roof and the monumental concrete bas-relief by sculptor Paul Chériau. More than just a swimming pool, Marville is a site of collective memory.
But here’s the catch. Closed since 2024, the Marville swimming pool has been left to deteriorate and today sits "in a state of progressive patrimonial peril." Yet the Île-de-France site is set to have a second life. As the winner of the Loto du Patrimoine, the Marville pool will be transformed. "The reconversion project for the Marville pool aims to restore and value a remarkable piece of contemporary architectural heritage while giving it a living use open to the public", reads the Loto du Patrimoine site.
The project, which envisions converting the former swimming pool into a sports, cultural, and social third space, is led by the Flaneurz Roller Skating Club. A winner of the Department of Seine-Saint-Denis’ Call for Expressions of Interest, Flaneurz Roller Skating Club is an association affiliated with the FFRS (French Roller and Skateboard Federation) and is headed by Najete Kada, a ten-time French champion in Artistic Roller. The club offers roller skating lessons, Roller Parties, and performances, among other activities.
For the repurposing of the Marville pool, Flaneurz Roller Skating Club has notably envisioned a roller-skating track in place of the two indoor pools. But the anticipated third-space could also welcome other practices tied to urban cultures and aquatic arts.
Stéphane Bern, who launched in 2018 the Loto du Patrimoine as part of the Mission Patrimoine, visited the old Marville swimming pool this Tuesday, October 13, for a press tour. The well-known presenter came to lend his support to a project that could give new life to this emblematic site in Seine-Saint-Denis. But according to Le Parisien, it still needs "two-thirds of the funding". The spotlight on the Loto du Patrimoine could therefore shift the balance and help this project move closer to reality.
