“Could this once bustling hub really be described as almost a ghost town?” you might wonder. That’s the story of Station Alexandre. This industrial complex turned business center has a history as layered as the streets of Marseille. It sits in the 14th arrondissement in the Canet district. Station Alexandre started as a triage station. Victor Régis a Marseille shipowner specializing in the oil industry built it in the early 20th century. A private railway line connected the station directly to the Joliette area.
But by the 1930s Marseille soap factories faced a crisis. The station was abandoned as trains gave way to trucks. After the Second World War the site was dismantled. In 2003 the Canet district became an urban free zone. Investor Sylvie Caulet renovated the building turning it into a living space and business center. Sylvie created a SCI with her husband Gilbert Caulet and a financial partner. They were equal partners.
The industrial area covered 40000 square meters. Work began in 2004. The preserved building features a metal frame attributed to Gustave Eiffel. You can see it on the exterior of the stone building. All of Gustave Eiffel’s structures were preserved. Elements from the 1950s also remain. The work finished in 2007. Christine Boutin Minister of Housing and the City inaugurated it. Deputies Valérie Boyer and Senator-Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin attended.
Station Alexandre is named after Sylvie Caulet’s maternal grandfather Marcel Alexandre. He was an engineer specializing in structural engineering. He initiated his granddaughter into 20th-century metal construction. By 2011 Station Alexandre was thriving. Garo Hovsepian mayor of the 13th and 14th arrondissements cited it as a success story. He called it a former station transformed into a vibrant economic and cultural hub.
In 2016 Station Alexandre housed 90 companies employing about 300 people. However by 2017 the center faced serious difficulties. It went into receivership and lost its free zone status. Still in 2020 around 100 businesses operated in the Hall Gustave the Quai Félix and the Pavillon Victor. Outside office hours the Atrium’s glass-covered space hosted high-end corporate events and concerts.
Le Passage resembled Parisian arcades. It was dedicated to visual art exhibitions aimed at engaging the local community. But in February 2023 the Marseille court put Station Alexandre up for auction. Only three offices a restaurant a medical center and a crèche remained. Marsactu described it as almost a ghost town. A former business owner blamed the decline on disastrous management and high rents.
The complex was sold for 4.5 million euros in February. But the public land establishment of PACA pre-empted it. Station Alexandre is located at 29 boulevard Charles-Moretti in the 14th arrondissement. You can reach it by bus lines 28 and 89. The Bougainville station on the Marseille metro is also nearby. From a bustling hub to near abandonment Station Alexandre’s story mirrors the changing fortunes of Marseille itself. It stands as a reminder of industrial heritage entrepreneurial spirit and the challenges of urban development.