After the fire, Le Chansonnier’s owners choose to sell the barge

Two months after a fire devastated part of its interior, the barge Le Chansonnier is changing hands. Its owners have announced that they will not continue the renovation themselves, judging the work too extensive after the damage recorded in January. The boat, moored on quai de la Tournelle, has been sold to the Fondation Hesperis pour les arts et le patrimoine, an organisation based in Luxembourg. The amount of the transaction has not been disclosed. The foundation says it intends to preserve the project’s cultural purpose and restore the vessel so that it can host exhibitions, meetings and private events. Work could resume in the spring, subject to technical authorisations and hull inspections. Several residents say they are relieved that the boat will not be left abandoned, while others question the arrival of a foreign foundation in a Paris project previously run by local owners. Hesperis says no major change to the exterior is planned.