The location was deemed exceptional by advertisers. Placed 138 meters high on the only skyscraper in the north of the capital, the sign was visible for miles around, and by the continuous stream of motorists who spin on the A86 at its feet, and on the A1 a little further. In fact, for a long time the Pleyel tower bore the name of the advertising letters that circled over its head rather than that of the old piano factory on the land on which it was installed. In Saint-Denis, the “Bayer”, “Philips”, “Siemens”, “Kia” tower, depending on the era, was also famous for its endless queues in front of the counters of the CAF (family allowance fund) , which occupied a few trays. Above and below, offices everywhere, 1970s atmosphere, with partitions, flat wooden ramps on the stairs, and rooms with low ceilings.
That era is over. The highest tower in Seine-Saint-Denis was emptied of its occupants in the mid-2010s. Completely cleaned, asbestos removed, it is about to start another life in just over a year. La Financière des quatre rives, which is piloting the project for Pleyel Investissement, a subsidiary of a life insurance company based in Strasbourg, has decided to transform it into a luxury hotel with 700 rooms, with a panoramic bar and swimming pool on the roof. She will no longer be alone, as she has been for half a century, when the original plan called for them to be four, like the cardinal points. A first building (offices and shops) surrounds its base. And on the side, a 25-storey tower will house workspaces and a conference center.
At the entrance to the site, a countdown scrolls the days. On December 31, 2023, the keys to the skyscraper must be handed over to the German group H-Hotels, which is signing its first establishment in France. The establishment must be ready for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, of which the athletes’ village is being built a few hundred meters away.
Spectacular moult
The arrival of such a tourism and business complex in this place surprises more than one. But the real estate program is part of the spectacular transformation experienced by this piece of territory wedged between the ring road and the A86. The density of projects per square meter is unequaled in France, or even in Europe. To justify the investment, Boris Litty, pilot of the operation, put everything on transport. No less than four metro lines (the extension of the 14, the creation of the 15, 16, 17) will intersect in the station below, presented as the future Châtelet-Les Halles du Grand Paris. Line 13 is on the other side of the intersection. A bridge launched over the railway tracks will, in 2024, put the RER D and the companies of La Plaine a few minutes away. A major asset to attract, hopes Boris Litty, a congress clientele during the week, and more family on weekends. And why not airline personnel when Roissy will only be twenty minutes away, and Orly direct with the 14?
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