Ferme du Buisson

Ferme du Buisson (La Ferme du Buisson) is a cultural institution in Noisiel, in the Seine-et-Marne department of the Île-de-France region of France. It occupies the buildings of a former industrial model farm built in the 1880s for the Menier chocolate family, and today operates as a multidisciplinary cultural centre combining a live-performance venue, a contemporary art centre and a cinema, together with a médiathèque on the site. Its legal status is that of an établissement public de coopération culturelle (EPCC), a French public cultural cooperation body. The site has been occupied by a farm since the Middle Ages, but the present buildings date from 1880–1888, when Émile Justin Menier integrated the farm into the agro-industrial complex of the Menier chocolate company. Rebuilt largely from scratch under the architect Jules Louis Logre, it became a 'ferme modèle' — a showcase of scientific and agricultural innovation, with a laboratory for chemical fertilisers, selected species, innovative machinery and early electrification. The farm supplied raw materials to the Menier factory and the domestic needs of its workers. After the Menier company declined and went bankrupt in the 1960s, the farm was bought by the public development authority of Marne-la-Vallée (Épamarne) and left abandoned as a friche. From the late 1970s it was rehabilitated as a centre of art and culture; the architectural project was entrusted to Bernard Huet in 1984, and in 1986 the façades and roofs of the buildings were listed as monuments historiques. The artistic project has been labelled Scène nationale since 1991 and Centre d'art contemporain d'intérêt national since 2020. Today the Ferme du Buisson presents a programme of theatre, circus, dance, music, visual arts and cinema, and is accessible by RER A to Noisiel, by bus, or by car with free parking. It remains a public, non-commercial cultural operator rather than a private brand, but it functions as a recognised cultural trademark and venue brand in the Île-de-France region.

The site of the Ferme du Buisson has been occupied by a farm since the Middle Ages. In the early 18th century it was described by the priest Jacques Boullay and the abbé Lebeuf, who mentioned a barn of 'prodigious length' and a chapel dedicated to Saint Anthony. Apart from the heavily altered East barn, all the 18th-century buildings have disappeared. In 1825, Jean Antoine Brutus Menier chose Noisiel for his factory producing pharmaceutical powders and chocolate. From the middle of the 19th century the small rural village was transformed into an industrial site, while the south of the commune was reserved for agriculture. Émile Justin Menier, son of Jean Antoine Brutus, sought autonomy for his basic products; he became owner of sugar refineries and brought cocoa from Nicaragua. In 1880 he had the Ferme du Buisson built on the foundations of an 18th-century Brie farm. The farm quickly became a 'ferme modèle', a leading site for technological innovation in agriculture, and then a place of experimentation where science was put at the service of farming. Émile Justin gave the farm a laboratory. The present buildings date from 1880–1888. They were erected after the integration of the Ferme du Buisson into the agro-industrial complex of the Menier chocolate company. In the middle of the century Émile Justin Menier gradually acquired land in and around Noisiel, building up a landed estate of 1,500 hectares largely devoted to agriculture. The cultivation of wheat, oats, beet and poplar, as well as livestock rearing (including 2,500 sheep for milk production), supplied the factory with raw materials and met the domestic needs of the workers. Several farms were bought, including the Ferme du Buisson in 1879, intended to centralise the management of all the agricultural activities of the five holdings. A private railway line, put into service in 1881, linked the factory and the farm and connected to the Paris–Mulhouse line at Émerainville station; its route corresponds to the present Promenade de la Chocolaterie. As soon as it was bought, the Ferme du Buisson was largely rebuilt: Émile Justin Menier had most of the old buildings demolished and replaced with new, larger and more functional edifices. The work was entrusted to the architect Jules Louis Logre. The first building constructed was the central barn-stable. It measures 85 metres long and covers an area of 2,400 m². Its metal frame structure is composed of 26 trusses with a span of 27 m. The upper floor was intended for storing grain and fodder, while the ground floor housed 24 horse stalls, a 48-place cowshed and 4 enclosures for 100 sheep. Initially this barn-stable was to be flanked by two barns to the east and west. In the end only the west barn, 137 metres long and 18 metres wide, was built. The East building, dating from the late 18th century, was kept. Between 1884 and 1888 the ancillary buildings were constructed, including the two entrance pavilions to the north, built by the Baudet-Donon company. These pavilions were intended as housing for the farm manager and the caretaker. The whole set of buildings presents an aesthetic unity; the two-colour brick decoration echoes that of the Menier factory on the banks of the Marne. Through its construction, equipment and operation, the farm established itself as a showcase of scientific and agricultural innovation. It was equipped with a laboratory where chemical fertilisers were tested. Species were selected to guarantee very high yields, while innovative machines were used for ploughing fields and threshing grain. On the site, a rail system facilitated the transport of harvests and the removal of manure. The electrification of the farm was early (from 1889). In 1889 the Ferme du Buisson hosted the agricultural machinery competition of the Paris Universal Exposition, allowing the Menier family to reaffirm the innovative character of their operation. In this context, President Sadi Carnot visited the installations and awarded Claire Menier the cross of the Ordre du Mérite agricole during a grand banquet. In 1903 the barn-stable hosted a new banquet for 2,500 guests on the occasion of the marriage of Georges Menier and Simonne Legrand. In 1936 the Menier company changed the operation of its agricultural holdings: centralised management was abandoned and replaced by tenant-farming contracts. After the Second World War, foreign competition in the chocolate sector grew stronger and the Menier company declined, until bankruptcy in the 1960s. The Ferme du Buisson was bought by the public development authorities of Marne-la-Vallée (Épamarne). Left abandoned, it became a friche whose destruction was envisaged. In the late 1970s, within the framework of the new towns policy and territorial restructuring, Épamarne drew up a project to rehabilitate the Ferme du Buisson as a centre of art and culture. Named director of the future centre in 1979, Fabien Jannelle designed an artistic project that was first nomadic across different sites in the territory and then housed within the walls with the association Lieux publics. The architectural component was entrusted in 1984 to Bernard Huet. By an arrêté dated 12 June 1986, the façades and roofs of all the buildings of the Ferme du Buisson were listed as monuments historiques. The artistic project has been labelled Scène nationale since 1991 and Centre d'art contemporain d'intérêt national since 2020. The site also houses a médiathèque.

• 2020

  The art centre is labelled Centre d'art contemporain d'intérêt national.

• 1991

  The artistic project is labelled Scène nationale.

• 1986

  By an arrêté of 12 June, the façades and roofs of the buildings are listed as monuments historiques.

• 1984

  The architectural rehabilitation project is entrusted to Bernard Huet.

• 1979

  Fabien Jannelle is named director of the future cultural centre.

• 1960

  The Menier company goes bankrupt; the farm is bought by Épamarne and abandoned.

• 1936

  The Menier company abandons centralised management of its farms in favour of tenant-farming contracts.

• 1903

  A banquet for 2,500 guests is held in the barn-stable for the marriage of Georges Menier and Simonne Legrand.

• 1889

  The farm hosts the agricultural machinery competition of the Paris Universal Exposition; President Sadi Carnot visits.

• 1888

  The main construction phase of the farm buildings is completed.

• 1884

  Construction of the ancillary buildings, including the two entrance pavilions, begins.

• 1881

  A private railway line linking the factory and the farm is put into service.

• 1880

  Construction of the Ferme du Buisson begins on the foundations of an 18th-century Brie farm.

• 1879

  The Ferme du Buisson is bought by the Menier family to centralise the management of its five agricultural holdings.

• 1825

  Jean Antoine Brutus Menier installs his pharmaceutical powder and chocolate factory in Noisiel.

Public multidisciplinary cultural centre and heritage site, labelled Scène nationale and Centre d'art contemporain d'intérêt national.

• Live performance programme (theatre, circus, dance, music)

• Contemporary art exhibitions

• Cinema screenings

• Médiathèque (media library)

1. 1La Ferme du Buisson | Scène nationale - Centre d'art - Cinémalafermedubuisson.com
2. 2Histoire - La Ferme du Buissonlafermedubuisson.com
3. 3Histoire - La Ferme du Buissonlafermedubuisson.com
4. 4Ferme du Buisson - Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5La Ferme du Buisson - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org