Ministère de la Santé

Can a building hold the weight of a nation’s health? Here, before the Ministère de la Santé, it seems possible. This eight-story structure on Avenue Duquesne isn’t just brick and steel. It’s the heart of France’s healthcare system. The Ministère de la Santé, established in its current form in 2024, carries the legacy of its predecessors. From the Ministère de l’Hygiène in 1920 to the Ministère des Solidarit´és et de la Santé in 2017, this institution has evolved alongside the nation’s health needs. The very ground we stand on resonates with history. Imagine the urgency of construction in 1929, as architect Guillaume Tronchet raced to create space for the burgeoning social security system. The Ministère de la Santé needed to accommodate the influx of citizens seeking services. This building, a “V” shape spanning an entire city block, used then-modern techniques like a steel frame and prefabricated elements, some even provided by Germany as war reparations. The Art Deco style, popular after the 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative and Industrial Arts, graces the building. Look for the intricate vitraux by Jacques Gruber in the Fontenoy hall, now the ministry’s press room. Admire the sculptures by brothers Jean and Joël Martel, particularly in what was once the “hall of counters,” now a multimedia documentation center. The Ministère de la Santé building also housed a bomb shelter, built in 1939. The main entrance, at 14 Avenue Duquesne, leads to a maze of corridors–nine kilometers of them! 2,300 people navigate this network, working within 83,000 square meters of floor space. Over the years, different departments, like the DARES in 2003, relocated, leaving the Ministère de la Santé to occupy this substantial space. The Ministère de la Santé stands as a testament to France’s ongoing commitment to public health, a tangible representation of the nation’s well-being.