Vacherie du Parc
building in 6th arrondissement of Lyon, France
The Vacherie du Parc is a former municipal dairy located along the Allée des Moutons in the Lyon Zoo, in the heart of the Parc de la Tête d'Or in Lyon, France. It was designed by the architect Tony Garnier following a commission from the city of Lyon. It was intended to provide milk for Lyon's orphans, and included a stable, a milk pasteurization facility, and accommodation for the cowherds.
The cow farm was not efficient enough and was closed in 1919 when it was transferred to the Agricultural school of Cibeins in Misérieux. After being converted into a rearing house in the 1920s, the building is now an administrative building.
History
Shortly after the opening of the Parc de la Tête d'Or in 1857, following the introduction of fallow deer for the creation of the zoo, cows and sheep were brought in to maintain the lawns. From 1861 onwards, the cows' milk was sold on the Place Bellecour.
Built from wood and thatch, it was destroyed by fire in 1871. In 1904, Mayor Jean-Victor Augagneur launched the construction of a new building to produce milk closer to Lyon. He first approached Auguste Duret, who proposed a U-shaped plan with a lot of ornamentation. But the town council deemed it too costly.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Vacherie du Parc” is building in 6th arrondissement of Lyon, France. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Vacherie, Parc and building, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “building in 6th arrondissement of Lyon, France” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q17347249. Authority coordinates are 45.777, 4.856. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1919, 1857, 1861 and 1871.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Vacherie du Parc”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Vacherie du Parc primary sources, Vacherie du Parc archive and Vacherie research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Vacherie du Parc”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Vacherie du Parc” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.