Musée des Matériaux du Centre de Recherche sur les Monuments Historiques

The Musée des Matériaux, or the Materials Museum, began as an ambitious project in nineteen thirty-four to catalog the essential building blocks of France’s architectural history. Founded by Paul Deschamps, Pierre Paquet, and André Chauvel, it was designed to house a collection of stone, wood, metal, and glass samples, alongside various tools and hardware salvaged from historical restoration sites. This collection grew into a repository of over seven thousand items, serving as a practical reference for architects and conservators tasked with repairing centuries-old structures.