Richard Rogers on Terence Conran
In 1974, Renzo Piano and I were working in Paris on the Centre Pompidou, when a call came from Terence Conran asking if it would be possible for him to have a tour of the building. We were honoured to do so – he was a legend in the world of design.
We started to climb the skeletal steel structure, which towered over the Right Bank, to see the view of Paris from the roof. Terence never gave us a hint that he suffered from vertigo, but it became clear as we climbed up that it was only his heroic determination to see the building that kept him going. We made it to the top.
On the way down he asked to be blindfolded and held on to my shoulders. His shirt was drenched with sweat, and he was visibly shaken at the end, but he had done it - just so he could see a building he wanted to see. That night he took us to eat at the restaurant Chez l'Ami Louis. It was situated in a dark back street not far from the Pompidou. On entering, we were in what looked like a very run-down, third-class train carriage with many layers of dark brown paint with an old wood stove in the centre and baggage racks running down both sides of the room. Whole roast legs of lamb, thick slabs of foie gras, grilled veal kidneys and fried wild mushrooms made for the most remarkable meal we had ever had.
There are many things the world should be eternally grateful to Terence for - changing a nation's attitude to design, giving London a design museum, restoring the Michelin Building, but on a simply personal level, I will always be grateful to him for being introduced to such an amazing restaurant by this truly amazing man.
