Paris: Restored rail viaduct converted to artists' studios, craft shops

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PARIS, France - Porcelain painters, dressmakers, musical instrument repairmen, even professional laundresses ply their trades in full public view under the pink brick-and-stone arches of an ancient viaduct that once supported an elevated railroad line.

The Viaduc Des Arts, the name given to a glassed-in, street-level promenade in the Bastille area of Paris near the Gare de Lyon train station, is a literal window into the workshops of 45 French artisans.

Working behind panes of plate glass in workshops under the archways, the artists make jewelry and furniture and restore antique lace and old photos. It's all part of an ambitious urban renewal project opened in 1998 and completed last year to breathe new life into an old Paris neighborhood.

If you go Getting there: The Viaduc des Arts runs from numbers 9-129 on the Avenue Daumesnil in Paris' 12th arrondissement. Public transportation: Métro and RER lines 1,5, A and D to Bastille or Gare de Lyon, or Bus No. 29. General information: For information on the workshops, see at www.viaduc-des-arts.com. In Paris: Visit the information office at 181 Avenue Daumesnil.

Most of the ateliers also double as shops, and the merchandise is pricey. A tiny heart-shaped box at the Atelier Le Tellec, where artists sit in the windows applying delicate brush strokes to porcelain vases, will set you back $64.

Still, a morning or an afternoon spent browsing here can yield some inexpensive treasurers. My favorites were the faux lemons and mushrooms sold for $1 or $2 each by Nomades Authentic, a manufacturer of decorative objects made from cardboard and recycled paper.

The group of workshops, in Paris' 12th arrondissement, is part of a project started by the city in 1990 to restore the Viaduc de Paris, built in 1859 to support a railway line linking the Bastille to Vincennes. On top of the arches is a 2.5 mile park, the Promenade Plantée, built on the former railroad right-of-way, now reachable from the street level by a series of stone staircases.

Also in the area is a lively market, the Marche D'Aligre with foods from North Africa and India, vegetable stalls and junk and collectibles. But the main attraction is the strip of artists' workshops, boutiques and cafes that stretch several blocks under the viaduct on the Avenue Daumesnil. Most visitors just pause to peer into the windows to watch, but you're welcome to drop in and look around. At Automates et Poupées, 97 Avenue Daumesnil, craftsmen repair antique porcelain dolls and bring mechanical dancing bears to back to life. Allian Cadinot, which specializes in the repair of flutes at its workshop and showroom at 99, Avenue Daumesnil. And at Marie Levande, 83 Avenue Daumesnil, women practice a unique French craft: the care and restoration of fine linens. Here fine table cloths and napkins are slowly hand-pressed with flat irons, then folded according to the client's closet sizes and perfumed with a favorite scent.

The Viaduc des Arts lends itself to a leisurely stroll rather than a mad dash to see every workshop. When it's time for a break, a sidewalk table at Le Viaduc Café at 43 Avenue Daumesnil is the ideal spot for coffee and people-watching.

Carol Pucci's phone message number is 206-454-3701. Her e-mail is cpucci@seattletimes.com.