On the banks of the Oise, in the Hermitage district of Pontoise, in the Val d'Oise, this small wooden building perched right up against the river draws the eye with its chalet-like, stilted silhouette. A rare survivor of a river landscape that was once far denser, it is today designated as Regional Heritage of Interest by the Île-de-France Region. But what is the story behind this discreet place, a witness to a different relationship with the river?
Its name simply mirrors its original purpose: a boat hangar designed to shelter small leisure craft. Probably built around 1900, it housed the boats used to paddle along the Oise and reach the Île du Pothuis, then linked to waterfront recreational life. The building has changed little over time, apart from its double door, redesigned at an uncertain date—perhaps during the interwar years—to ease the exit of the vessels.
That hangar labeled Regional Heritage is precisely noteworthy for its rare patrimonial value, preserving features of a light, picturesque architecture that has almost vanished. Built in wood, chalet-style, on stilts, with lambrequin ornamentation and a roof typical of leisure-era constructions, it illustrates pleasure boating on the Oise at the turn of the century. The Region notes that this heritage is all the more precious because most of these hangars have disappeared or been destroyed, notably during the bombardments of World War II which heavily struck the banks of Pont-Sainte-Maxence.
The site thus sits at the heart of the Hermitage district’s history of leisure travel and river-based recreation, where Camille Pissarro moved in to work as early as 1866. Acquired by the municipality in 2003, the building then underwent a rehabilitation project, followed by a restoration in 2024. Its current use now appears connected to promoting local river heritage: the City of Pontoise presents it as a restored, visitable site, while the Region noted that it could host the flotilla of antique boats formed by the association Pontoise Patrimoine. The site has been designated Regional Heritage of Interest since July 5, 2023.
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