The Cent Quatre (pronounced [sɑ̃ katʁ], meaning "104") is a public cultural centre in Paris, which opened on 11 October 2008 on the site of a former municipal undertaker's at 104 rue d'Aubervilliers, in the 19th arrondissement of the city.
The building was conceived in the style of the industrial architecture of the time (that of large train stations and exhibition halls),[1] and constructed around a cast-iron frame using glass and brick.
The second, on the rue de Curial housed 80 hearses and around 100 funeral chariots on the ground floor and 300 horses in 28 stables in the basement, where over 6,000 coffins were also stored, along with horse-feed and a 50,000-litre water tank.
[1] The halls also contained a group of twelve shops offering funeral ornaments as well as workshops for carpentry, tapestry, painting and upholstery.
[1] After World War II, funeral services became motorised and the hall on the rue Curial became a garage for 150 vans and 92 saloon cars, along with their workshops and mechanics.
The Cent Quatre is by law a "public institution for cultural cooperation", meaning it is managed at arm's length by local government.
The Cent Quatre regularly presents contemporary art exhibitions and has become one of the meeting places of the parisian youth for urban dances and other artistic or audiovisual activities.
The building is situated close to relatively deprived areas of Paris and runs community engagement activities and work experience programmes.