Cent Quatre

The Cent Quatre building occupies a city block with its massive, industrial glass roof and rows of repetitive, arched windows lining the brick facade. Originally built in eighteen seventy-three, it served as the municipal funeral home for Paris. Workers once prepared thousands of bodies here for burial every year, using a complex network of internal courtyards to manage the somber traffic. Today, the high-ceilinged halls host circus performers, breakdancers, and artists who use the space to practice their crafts in the open.