The Docks of Marseille is a historic building in the heart of La Joliette , a business district in Marseille , France . The building is home to 220 companies employing some 3,500 people. Various corporate headquarters, regional branches, restaurants, and services are located inside.
History
Marseilles Docks and Warehouses Company, run by Paulin Talabot, at the Ponts et Chaussées Chief Engineer, politician, and successful businessman, launched the project of Les Docks de Marseille in 1856. Built under the direction of the architect Gustave Desplaces from 1858 to 1864 , The Docks of Marseille had 4 warehouses each featuring a management building named “Hotel de Direction”.
In 1955, Warehouses and General Stores of Paris (EMGP) took over Compagnie des Docks et Entrepôts de Marseille. Initially, the Docks were used as a paper and wheat storage facility, and they were partially restructured into offices.
SARI, managed by the defense real estate developer Christian Pellerin, bought The Docks of Marseille in 1991. The architect, Eric Castaldi, led a refurbishing project that transformed the warehouses into offices. Some of the work with the arches, enlarging the windows, replacing the roof with glass to create atria, and adding an internal central street.