Located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, the Jasmin station opened on November 8, 1922, with the inauguration of the first section of line 9, between Exelmans and Trocadéro.
A Poet Gives His Name to the Station
With an evocative name, the station is named not directly after the famous scent, but rather after Jacques Boé, known as "Jasmin", in memory of the flower that his grandfather used to wear in his buttonhole.
Jacques Boé, born in 1798, was a wig maker by profession and a 19th-century poet who wrote in the Occitan language. He was determined to defend the language of Oc at all costs, which was considered a mere vulgar patois. In his salon, he had the habit of combining hairdressing with the recitation of his poems to his clients while scenting them with jasmine lotion.
He gained some recognition thanks to the academician Charles Nodier, who, moved by his poetry, became his literary godfather and opened the doors of Parisian salons to him. There, he met notable figures such as Lamartine, Chateaubriand, and even Napoleon III, who organized an evening in his honor. He received the Légion d’honneur, the Croix de Saint-Grégoire-le-Grand, and the Del Brès crown awarded by the City of Agen. Selfless, he donated all the proceeds from his artistic performances to charitable works.
Above ground, at the square Jasmin, stands a private mansion built by Hector Guimard, the architect of the Art Nouveau metro entrances.
Two "Spearhead" Entrances
The station has two entrances, each adorned with a "spearhead" design:
- The entrance on Avenue Mozart features an escalator that only allows for exits.
- The entrance on Rue Jasmin, with its fixed staircase, is adorned with a so-called “Val d'Osne” lamppost.
Starting in 1913, the Paris Metropolitan Company (CMP) introduced more understated entrances: a simple rectangular wrought iron railing, a plan holder, and a streetlight to better signal and illuminate the metro entrances.
The first Val d’Osne lampposts featured a "Metro" sign surrounded by a lace-like wrought iron design, topped with a luminous globe, and had a sculpted base.
A Unique Mezzanine Configuration
The distribution area is designed as a mezzanine overlooking the tracks, a rare setup shared only with the two subsequent stations in the direction of Mairie de Montreuil: Ranelagh and La Muette.
As a result, the platforms are visible from the area and the information counter, which has replaced the ticket booth. The booth was one of the few remaining examples of 1970s style to survive until the 2010s.
An Enriched and Refined Decoration
The Jasmin station features two platforms separated by the metro tracks, topped by an elliptical arch. Like its counterparts from the CMP built after the 1920s, it showcases decorative elements that break away from the previously adopted sober and stripped-down architecture of the Paris Metropolitan Railway Company. This desire to enrich the spaces draws influence from the refined style of the competing Nord-Sud stations.
Now, the names of the CMP stations, which had previously been displayed on enameled metal plates, are crafted in blue ceramic. The corridors are adorned with colored friezes featuring geometric (star, diamond) or floral patterns, creating a “graphic line” that helps travelers navigate this underground maze more easily.
The advertising frames are embellished with a wide honey or brown-colored border featuring plant or floral motifs. Starting in the 1940s, these frames will also be decorated with a monogram "M" in an Art Deco style.
