“A beehive of activity” springs to mind. That is how one might describe Rue de la Ruche. We are standing on a street with a sweet name in Lyon. Rue de la Ruche translates to Beehive Street. It hints at a history buzzing with life and industry.
Rue de la Ruche begins at Rue du Dauphiné. It faces number 93. The street gently curves as it rises. The second part of the street ascends. It ends at Rue Villebois Mareuil. This street then makes a bend. Rue de la Ruche extends into Impasse de la Ruche.
At the end of Rue de la Ruche, the calm is striking. It is only broken by birdsong. The street is lined with houses, garages and workshops. These buildings are old. They range from one to three stories high. From numbers 13 to 17, three small buildings are under construction. The central building has three stories of round balconies.
The dead-end lane is short. It lies between gardens and gates of beautiful houses. These houses become newer. Number 31 bis closes off the end. Number 34 is striking. It has two columns. Once upon a time, there was a hamlet of La Ruche in this area. In 1785, Louis Charlet owned the Clos de la Ruche. His house was on Rue du Dauphiné. It was near the railroad crossing to the east.
The district became urbanized in the early 20th century. Today, Rue de la Ruche is home to five companies. So the street has a sweet name. Its history has a sweet connection to actual beehives. The presence of an apiculturist may have inspired the name. The street’s name possibly comes from someone keeping bees in the area. This was likely before 1869. At that time, the name was extended to the entire street.
Before that, Rue de la Ruche was just a path. Jacques de Deventer drew it on a map around 1550-1565. This path connected Chaussée de Haecht to the old Rue Teniers. Rue Teniers became Avenue Louis Bertrand in 1905. In the early 1840s, the path appeared as chemin no 48. In 1844, the first part of the path became a street. It was eight meters wide. The second part was called Chemin de l’Église. By 1858, the first part was Rue de la Ruche. The second part was Impasse Van Hemelryck.
In 1881, Rue de la Ruche started at the future Rue de l’Est. The first buildings appeared that year. This was in the second part of the street. The street’s width was increased to twelve meters. By 1891, this section had about twenty houses. The street’s layout was officially decreed. The twelve-meter width applied to the entire street. The rest of the street was built in the 1890s and early 1900s.
The buildings on Rue de la Ruche are neoclassical or eclectic. The neoclassical style is mostly from the 1880s. The eclectic style is from the 1890s. Numbers 52 to 56 are neoclassical. Number 35 has a loggia from 1908. It is part of a group of buildings from 1885 to 1887. Number 57-59 is eclectic from 1906. It has a shop on the ground floor. The beginning of the street has two particularly cohesive rows of houses. Numbers 2 to 6 were designed together in 1899. Number 6 Rue de l’Est was included. Numbers 8 and 10 were designed the year before. Number 14 is from 1898. Numbers 3 to 9, 11, 13 and 15 are built at an angle to the street. In the bend of the street are two schools. These are the Institut Saint-Augustin and the former Groupe scolaire Josaphat.
Today, the street is also home to Alice. Alice is a rehearsal and workshop studio. It is part of the Itinéraire Provisoire association. This association supports artists. La Ruche includes five artist studios. It also has a 100 square meter studio. It is a mixed living and working space. Resident artists and visiting companies share the space.
So, as we stand here on Rue de la Ruche, we see a street that has evolved. It has grown from a simple path to a home for artists and businesses. It is a street with a history as sweet as honey.