Lyon plateau Croix-Rousse, Collège la Tourette

At number 78 level, the beautiful building of Collège de la Tourette has replaced the ancient house and garden de la Tourette, mentioned in documents from the 14th century: the gate was built around 1630 with its motto “MIHI NON SUM NATUS” (I’m not born for myself). From 1879, the new girl school is built on this area and inaugurated by President Sadi Carnot in 1888. This building appears in “la revue des constructeurs” (builders journal) as a model for articulating plans on a steep slope. The architect Philippe GENESTE managed to break the appearance of verticality: wide windows with curved lintels, cornices and false mullions lighten the façades. The originality comes from the semicircular peristyle which links the central building to the amphitheatre and closes the courtyard while opening it towards the city. In 2010 the Conseil Général du Rhone (Regional Council) decides to restructure the building and to transform it into a public secondary school (collège) for about 700 pupils. This work was assigned to the architectural firm PARIS from Vienne (38). The construction work took 3 years and the garden re-opening in September 2013 showed a successful rehabilitation, combining elegantly ancient and modern styles (Source: http://latourette.blogs.laclasse.com).