19 Rue Henri Barbusse

Located at 19 rue Henri Barbusse, in Marseille’s 1st arrondissement, Le Barbusse, now renamed Grand Central, is an emblematic building of 20th-century heritage. Originally the regional headquarters of the Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones (PTT)*, it was built in 1937–1938 by architect Auguste Marie Joseph Bluysen to relieve the overcrowded Poste Colbert, which had become too small for its growing functions.

Rehabilitation and New Purpose

Vacant since the relocation of postal services to the renovated Poste Colbert, Le Barbusse has undergone an ambitious transformation project. In 2023, it was reborn as Grand Central, a modern office complex featuring coworking spaces, a ground-floor restaurant, a panoramic rooftop terrace, and flexible work areas.

It offers about 8,500 m² of floor space spread over five levels plus a rooftop terrace on the sixth floor.

The fully redesigned interior includes meeting rooms, an auditorium, coworking areas, and renovations that respect the original structure.

Use and Occupancy

From 2024–2025, the newspaper La Provence, recently acquired by Rodolphe Saadé (CEO of CMA CGM), will or has (unsure) relocate its editorial offices and administrative departments to Grand Central, making it the new headquarters of its operations.

The building also houses the editorial offices of BFM TV, part of the same media group.

A Symbol of Urban Renewal

Grand Central embodies the urban renewal of downtown Marseille — the transformation of a historic public building into a contemporary workspace that balances heritage preservation with modern needs for flexibility, comfort, and environmental performance.

Its proximity to landmarks such as the Jardin des Vestiges, the Vieux-Port, and Poste Colbert reinforces its role as a meeting point between history and modernity.

* PTT stands for “Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones” — the former French public administration responsible, until the 1990s, for managing:

• postal services (mail, parcels, stamps),
• telecommunications (telephone, telegraph),
• and, in its early years, broadcasting.

In 1991, the PTT was divided into two distinct entities:

• La Poste, for mail and financial services,
• France Télécom (later renamed Orange), for telecommunications.

Thus, when it says that Le Barbusse was a former PTT headquarters, it means that the building once housed the administrative and technical services of the postal and telephone network for the Marseille region.