Ever wondered about the quiet Rue Roger in Paris’ 14th arrondissement? It’s a seemingly ordinary street but holds fascinating secrets. Rue Roger is a short north-south street running parallel to Rue Deparcieux and Rue Gassendi. It begins near the wall of the Montparnasse Cemetery at 43 Rue Froidevaux. It ends at 64 Rue Daguerre. Its length is only 110 meters. Its width is just 10 meters.
Named after a former landowner Monsieur Roger its history is rich. Once part of Petit-Montrouge a commune annexed by Paris in 1860 the street’s incorporation into Paris’ road system was delayed until 1987. Imagine this quiet street once bustling with activity.
Numbers 6 and 8 Rue Roger once housed the A-E Decoufle factory. This factory made cigarette-making machines. The factory’s founder Anatole-Edouard Decoufle lived at number 8. His machines revolutionized cigarette production in France. A modern building now stands there hiding the past.
Number 7 held a different kind of history. Thomas Elek a member of the FTP-MOI resistance movement lived there during World War II. His bravery against the Nazi occupation remains a significant part of the street’s story.
Number 10 bis is a gem. This building features a 19th-century bookstore facade. It’s listed as a historical monument. In the 1960s sculptor Cesar Baldaccini had his studio in a shed behind the house. He used the space until his death.
The last building on Rue Roger is located at 66 Rue Daguerre. It was previously numbered 62 Rue de la Pepiniere du Petit-Montrouge. Emile Zola and his mother lived there briefly in 1862 and 1863. Rue Roger’s quiet facade conceals these stories of innovation resistance and art. So next time you walk down Rue Roger remember its hidden layers of history.