Avenue Charles Saint-Venant

In 1927, Avenue Charles Saint-Venant replaced the 13th-century Rue du Bourdeau. This narrow, winding street in the Saint-Maurice parish connected Rue de l’Abbiette (now Rue de Tournai) to Rue de Fives (now Rue Gustave-Delory). Avenue Charles Saint-Venant stands as a testament to Charles Saint-Venant, a socialist SFIO deputy from Nord and deputy mayor under Gustave Delory. The avenue is located in Lille-Centre, connecting Rue de Tournai to Rue Gustave-Delory. You can easily reach Avenue Charles Saint-Venant via the Gare Lille-Flandres metro station. Originally, the Rue du Bourdeau was crossed by the Haut-Becquerel canal, which was covered over in the latter half of the 19th century. In 1865, Henri Boutry opened flax spinning and weaving mills there. He later set up a sewing workshop where a narrow lane once connected Rue du Bourdeau to the Vieux-Marché aux Moutons (now Rue du Molinel), known as the “Cour du Pourcelet,” which disappeared by 1870. A shoe and tannery factory also stood on the even-numbered side of the street. During the siege of October 1914, bombs destroyed the buildings on the section facing Rue de Tournai, including the Boutry factories and workshops. This section was widened and straightened in the 1920s. New buildings were constructed behind Rue du Molinel (formerly Vieux-Marché aux Moutons) and Rue des Augustins, set back from the old Rue du Bourdeau buildings. An undeveloped plot became the Citroën bus station, accessible from Rue du Molinel. This bus station was later replaced by buildings in the 1960s. The section facing Rue Gustave-Delory remained narrow until 1960, with the shoe factory continuing to operate. Avenue Charles Saint-Venant underwent further widening in the early 1960s during the Saint-Sauveur district’s renovation. It was aligned with the also widened and relocated Rue Saint-Sauveur. The even-numbered (east) side of Avenue Charles Saint-Venant was once home to the “Forum,” offices of the Nord Departmental Council, a hotel, and a chain restaurant. The Forum building was deconstructed between 2019 and 2022 for conversion into a business center. Today, you’ll also find a social housing residence on Avenue Charles Saint-Venant, managed by Clésence. This residence offers 84 apartments, ranging from studios to five-room units, with affordable rents for those eligible for social housing.