Leroy Memorial

The factory's former power station, which has been converted into a cultural space since 2011, bears witness to this flourishing industrial past.

The machine room has become a place of remembrance. The proximity of the Seine, the railway and the main road had a major influence on the choice of site for the factory. By mechanising its production, the factory democratised the use of wallpaper, which until then had been considered a luxury product.

The company was more than just an economic engine for the town, with 600 employees producing up to 100,000 rolls of wallpaper a day on the 26-colour machine.

The Leroy family had the Leroy housing estates built to accommodate workers and managers, as well as a dispensary (now the Gâtinais municipal health centre).

They also set up a mutual insurance scheme, a brass band for local residents and a football club.

During the Second World War, the factory was requisitioned by the occupying forces to build aircraft engines and, on 1 August 1944, it was heavily bombed by Allied troops. The site, designed by the famous architect Paul Friesé, still bears important witness to its past activities, including thermal generators and a 26-colour printing press, both of which are listed as Historic Monuments.