Centre culturel des Heures Claires

Administrative institutions Municipal and inter-commune services

Presentation

The Hours Claires Educational and Cultural Center is a place where many cultural and sports activities are gathered in Istres: media library, games library, music conservatory, dance house ...

Designed by graduate architects from the Fine Arts at the Montrouge studio, a studio created in November 1958 by Pierre Riboulet (1928-2003), Gérard Thurnauer (born in 1926), Jean-Louis Véret (born in 1927) and Jean Renaudie (1925-1981). These architects rubbed shoulders with great figures of the modern movement such as Le Corbusier. They were part of a new generation which, internationally, stands out for its desire to rethink modernity on new bases, taking into account the social dimension of housing, history and the spirit of the time. Between 1967 and 1970, the Fos-sur-Mer Industrial Zone gradually took shape: the geographic and human landscape was modified, in particular due to the arrival of 20,000 to 30,000 workers, not including the transient workers from Lorraine and Savoy. A lack in social, cultural and educational facilities lead the council to acquire 12 hectares of land on the Heures Claires plateau, 1.5 km from the old town, with a view to creating a college and a ECC (Educational and Cultural Centre). The ambitious programme, supported by the State, was divided into different sections of work. The first to be completed, in 1971, was the college, followed in the same year by the library and the Maison Pour Tous. Since then, additional facilities have been added: a summer camp and a sports centre in 1972, a social centre, the employment agency, a chemist and a daycare centre in 1974, a theatre in 1976, the Maison de la Danse in 1988, the Conservatory of Music and Dance in 2000, etc. The ECC has been certified and registered with the Regional Heritage and Sites Commission (CRPS) since 15 March 2007.

Equipments, Services

Services :
- Pets welcome
Parking :
- Car park
Accessibility criteria for people with reduced mobility :
- Accessible for self-propelled wheelchairs
Equipment :
- Defibrillator