Rachida Dati announced on November 28 the classification of part of the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art (CNSAD) (2 bis rue du Conservatoire, located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris) as historical monuments. The building, which belongs to the Ministry of Culture, is located in the former Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs built in 1763.
The adjacent theater, inaugurated in 1811 by the architect François-Jacques Delannoy and transformed in the 19th and 20th centuries, had already been classified as a historic monument in 1921. In 2019, under the leadership of the association of students and former students of the Conservatory national theater of dramatic art, the hall of honor, the main staircase, its cage and its landings, the former rehearsal room, known as the salon d’honor, and the former library, including its framework, have been registered as historical monuments. Now, this part of the building is also classified.
Registration and classification must be distinguished. A site is classified if it is of public interest from a historical and artistic point of view, and therefore has a higher level of protection than that of the listed property. The restoration procedures are different, for example for a listed property, the project management must be carried out by a chief architect of historic monuments.
Stricter standards which explain why the Ministry of Culture was until now not ready to classify the remaining part of the conservatory. He feared that the classification as a historic monument would constitute an obstacle to the sale of the building. Indeed, the money collected would have been used to finance the Cité du Théâtre – a project planned in the Batignolles district for 2025-2026, but which could not be carried out due to an excessive increase in the initial budget of 86 million euros.
It was undoubtedly the abandonment of this project which tipped the balance in favor of the classification of the remaining part of the conservatory. This decision, more symbolic than practical, serves the minister’s Parisian electoral agenda.
