Urbain Cassan

Born in Narbonne in 1890 and died in Paris in 1979, Urbain Cassan was a graduate of the École polytechnique and a pupil of Gustave Umbdenstock at the Beaux-Arts. He joined the Compagnie des chemins de fer du Nord and, under Raoul Dautry, took part in rebuilding the network after 1918. He designed the Lens station (1925-1927), notable for its long low profile and Art Deco decoration, and worked on the Saint-Quentin station (1926), attributed to Cassan on plans by Umbdenstock. He went on to a long public career, including the Jussieu campus and the Tour Montparnasse, and joined the Académie des beaux-arts in 1965.

Translated from the French original.