Located just a stone's throw from the Tête d’Or park, the old Guimet museum is one of those buildings that gracefully spans the decades with a touch of melancholy. Inaugurated in 1879, it has lived a thousand lives: originally the museum of Émile Guimet, then an ice rink, theater, brewery, and finally a natural history museum for nearly a century. But since its closure in 2007, the vast stone triangle and its iconic rotunda only open their doors occasionally, like for the contemporary art Biennial or the Obey exhibition.
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Over the years, Guimet has mostly been a stage for disappointments. A music hall project, the utopia of the Dance Workshops championed by Gérard Collomb, cultural ambitions of Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert: everything ended up in the bureaucratic limbo. The latest idea of turning it into a temporary artistic hub, in partnership with the Centre Pompidou, even sparked a well-known dispute with Mayor Grégory Doucet.
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Thermes, exploration hub? Decision in summer 2026
Today, the city is moving forward with caution. According to information from the magazine Nouveau Lyon shared by Actu Lyon, a project management assistant has been appointed to analyze the potential of this massive 9,000 m² space, featuring some areas bathed in light under a spectacular glass roof. The goal is to provide insight for the next municipal majority, who will finally need to make a decision.
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With its extraordinary volumes and 1300 m² of basements, Guimet is already igniting political imaginations. Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert now dreams of an “exploratorium” dedicated to science and youth. Pierre Oliver envisions glass-covered thermal baths in the style of Budapest. It’s safe to say that Guimet still has plenty of stories to tell... and it might just be ready to awaken after twenty years of slumber.
Source : Actu Lyon