Some municipalities choose to sell part of their assets to complete their budget. HAS Noyonfor example, the old Sainte-Marie Madeleine church is being put up for sale to bring money into the coffers. At the other end of the department, in the south of Oisewe prefer to keep our heritage and value it. This is how the city of Lamorlaye will rely on its old Orangerylocated in the park castleto transform it into a media library and a performance hall…
This Saturday, November 16, the first stone of this long-awaited public facility was laid. “This event marks a decisive step for our town, a moment where the past, the present and the future converge,” said Nicolas Moula, the mayor of Lamorlaye. The Orangerie is a place steeped in history serving the future… This project comes to life within an emblematic site which tells part of the soul of our town.”
Built in the 19th century
It was in the 19th century that the castle estate was sold to Alexandre Sébastien Gérard, civil engineer and chairman of the board of directors of Saint-Gobain. “It was probably on his initiative that the Orangery was built,” says Nicolas Moula.
Over the decades, the castle had several owners until it was bought in 2005 by the municipality of Lamorlaye. “This return to public heritage was a strong moment for our city, allowing this showcase of history to open up to the public and thus rediscover a vocation focused on all of its inhabitants,” continues the mayor of Lamorlaye. In the past, the Orangery housed exotic plants and served as a place of conservation. Today, it is preparing to become a sanctuary for another form of wealth, that of culture, knowledge and exchange.”
“Much more than just a building”
This transformation embodies the desire to preserve its heritage while placing it in a dynamic resolutely turned towards the future. “The media library will be much more than a simple building,” underlines Nicolas Moula. It will be a living space, a place of meetings and discoveries, a refuge for the imagination, a resource for education and emancipation, as well as a tool for transmission.”
The media library will provide, over some 1700 m2, a documentary collection comprising more than 22,000 documents, all media combined, as well as online resources. Particular emphasis will be placed on the themes of biodiversity and parenthood, both in terms of collections and initiatives.
“A digital center will be created, including computers, tablets and a space dedicated to adolescents, who will benefit from a furnished setting and collections adapted to their interests,” adds the mayor of Lamorlaye. Various activities, such as game evenings and literary clubs, will be organized there. The media library will also support academic success by offering educational resources, work rooms and exam preparation workshops.”
A performance hall with more than 200 seats
Beyond the media library, a performance hall with more than 200 seats will also come to life. “A key facility for the cultural vitality of Lamorlaye and more broadly of the Cantilienne Area,” judges Nicolas Moula. A performance hall is not simply a place dedicated to artistic performances, it is an essential engine for the cultural dynamics of a territory. It embodies an opportunity for meetings, discoveries and communion around the living arts. It is a lever for supporting local creation, providing a stage for emerging talents, and attracting established artists who will enrich the cultural offerings of our region. Theater, music, dance, cinema, conferences… So many forms of expression which will find an ideal setting in this room and which will allow all residents, whatever their age or interests, to access a rich and diverse program.”
This project was able to take shape thanks to the technical support of the teams of the regional directorate of cultural affairs (DRAC) and that of the Oise departmental media library. What Hilaire Multon, the regional director of cultural affairs for Hauts-de-France, present this Saturday in Lamorlaye, did not fail to point out. “It is with great pleasure that I am among you today to represent Ms. Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture, to celebrate the laying of the first stone of the future Lamorlaye media library,” he immediately indicated. . This project represents much more than new equipment: it is part of a heritage, cultural and social ambition, which honors this town and its rich past, inseparable from the equestrian world and its influence in the cantilian area.”
The DRAC salutes the audacity of the city
For Hillaire Multon, “the town of Lamorlaye was able to be bold in choosing to rehabilitate the Orangery of the old castle to house the new media library. This new media library is designed as a true “third place”, a space of conviviality, learning and exchange for all. With its mediation rooms, its 200-seat cultural space, its exhibition hall and its spaces dedicated to youth, it will be a place of meeting and sharing where culture is experienced and created together. The media library will also emphasize social connections by integrating a coffee point, a space for video games, a participatory grain library and educational workshops. So many developments designed to strengthen community dynamics, promoting living together based on exchange, creativity and the transmission of knowledge. I salute Lamorlaye’s choice to make the media library a structuring facility for the entire territory of the Cantilienne area, serving its 47,000 inhabitants. Its influence will be a valuable resource for the community by offering services and cultural activities adapted to everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, from families to local associations.”
