In the basements of Bordeaux (1/6): under the old Caisse d'épargne, a 1970s thriller atmosphere

Bought by Norbert Fradin in 2015, the former Caisse d'épargne is an imposing building complex in Mériadeck. Its 1,000 square meter basement is particularly worth a look with its row of safes, its clean-lined woodwork, and its vintage furniture. Guided tour

“Why did I buy the former Caisse d'épargne building in Mériadeck ? Because it's an incredible place,” says real estate developer Norbert Fradin. “It's a masterpiece of 1970s architecture, listed as a historic monument. One of the finest examples of the brutalist style, with its concrete walls incorporating stone, and with a rare build quality. The building was completed in 1977, and nothing has changed since.”

Nothing has changed, that's what you tell yourself when you descend into the vault in the basement. No less than 1,000 square meters in a complex that has nearly 10,000 square meters on seven levels, in the heart of Bordeaux. But here, you feel like you're outside of time, in a French crime film set where you might encounter the figures of Lino Ventura and Alain Delon.

Everything exudes the 1970s and 1980s: the spherical light fixtures, the neon lights on the ceiling, the rotary telephones that served as intercoms at a time when cell phones didn't exist, the magnetic tapes on which computer data was stored, the carpet on the pillars, which echoes the shape of the grooves drawn elsewhere in the concrete. Even if it tends to crumble over time. "And while we unfortunately had to remove a good part of it when we organized artistic events," laments Norbert Fradin. "The safety commission wanted to avoid any risk of fire."

It's a dive into the end of the 20th century when we discover a box used to store 100 and 200 franc notes.

And then there are the safes themselves. No fewer than 5,000 lined up on several levels. Some were broken into. Their owners had not been found when the Caisse d'épargne emptied the premises in 2015. Each one is made of metal, but the frame is made of wood. Rosewood, apparently (Norbert Fradin isn't sure), which can also be found in spaces set up against partitions for writing. The shapes are refined but with a concern for regularity, a cleanliness that makes them beautiful. "This place is an immense sculpture," enthuses the owner.

We move towards the treasure room, the "chest within the vault." There, the armored doors are 20 or 30 centimeters thick. And here too, it's a plunge into the late ^20th century when we discover a cassette used to store 100 and 200 franc notes, or an old pneumatic transport system. It was once used to circulate notes with the bank counter, which was located just above. The only trace of modernity: the presence of a sorting machine for euro coins.

Speaking of modernity, what's the status of the project to make this place a cultural site? "We're still thinking about creating a space to host artists in the area formed by the vault, the central atrium, and the entire ground floor," confirms Norbert Fradin. "The idea would be to have an intermediate space that could offer both exhibitions and performances. We hope to open around 2027. We've created a legal structure specifically for this purpose."