HΓ΄tel de Ville, Rouen
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The HΓ΄tel de Ville (French pronunciation: [otΙl dΙ vil], City Hall) is a historic building in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, northern France, standing on Place du GΓ©nΓ©ral de Gaulle. The garden faΓ§ade and roofs were designated a monument historique by the French government in 1948.cite-ref-1[1]
Contents
β’ History
β’ References
β’ Sources
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History
The city council initially held its meetings in the Halle aux Marchands, close to the Γglise Saint-Γloi, in the mid-12th century. It then met in a building on Rue du Gros-Horloge, previously belonging to Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester, which was granted to them by Philip II in 1220.cite-ref-footnotecook1899110-2-0[2] After the second HΓ΄tel de Ville became dilapidated, a third HΓ΄tel de Ville was erected on Rue du Gros-Horloge to a design by Jacques Gabriel in the Renaissance style in 1607.cite-ref-footnoteliquet186284-3-0[3] After nearly two centuries of use, the third HΓ΄tel de Ville became inadequate and was sold for commercial use in 1796.cite-ref-footnotecook1899145-4-0[4]cite-ref-5[5] In the late 18th century, the city council was briefly accommodated in the HΓ΄tel de la PremiΓ¨re PrΓ©sidence on Rue Saint-LΓ΄, which had been designed by Jean-Jacques Martinet and completed in 1721.cite-ref-6[6]
The current building was commissioned as a dormitory for the monks of Saint-Ouen Abbey on a site to the immediate north of the abbey. It was designed by Jean-Pierre Defrance and Jean-Baptiste Le Brument in the neoclassical style, built in ashlar stone and was completed in the mid-18th century. However, it became vacant in 1790 and the city council decided to acquire the former abbey dormitory and moved into the building in May 1800. A programme of works to convert the former dormitory into a municipal building was carried out to a design by Charles-Felix Maillet du Boullay and was completed in 1825.cite-ref-7[7]
The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of 19 bays facing onto a new square, with the end sections of the three bays each projected forward as pavilions. The ground floor was rusticated and arcaded with a series of round headed openings. The central section of three bays, which was also projected forward, featured a tetrastyle portico on the first floor: it was formed by Corinthian order columns supporting an entablature and a modillioned pediment, with a coat of arms in the tympanum. The building was fenestrated by casement windows with moulded surrounds and cornices and, at roof level, there was a balustraded parapet. Internally, although the principal room was the council chamber,cite-ref-footnoteliquet186282-8-0[8] there was a public library on the first floorcite-ref-footnoteliquet1862136-9-0[9] and a museum on the second floor.cite-ref-footnoteliquet1862138-10-0[10]
An equestrian statue of Napoleon by the sculptor, Gabriel-Vital Dubray, was unveiled in front of the building by the industrialist, Henri Barbet, on 15 August 1865.cite-ref-11[11]cite-ref-12[12] The building was badly damaged in a fire on the night of 30 December 1926 and, although the paintings and statues were saved, the municipal archives were destroyed.cite-ref-13[13] The building was subsequently restored to a design by Edmond Lair.cite-ref-14[14]
On 19 April 1944, during the Second World War, the building was damaged by American aerial bombing.cite-ref-15[15] Following the liberation of the town by Canadian troops on 30 August 1944, the French tricolour flag was hoisted on the building by local residents.cite-ref-16[16]
References
cite-note-11. β Base MΓ©rimΓ©e: PA00100851, MinistΓ¨re franΓ§ais de la Culture. (in French)
cite-note-footnoteliquet186284-33. β Liquet 1862, p. 84.
cite-note-55. β Base MΓ©rimΓ©e: PA00100850, MinistΓ¨re franΓ§ais de la Culture. (in French)
cite-note-66. β Base MΓ©rimΓ©e: IA00021815, MinistΓ¨re franΓ§ais de la Culture. (in French)
cite-note-77. β "Rouen City Hall". Film France. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
cite-note-footnoteliquet186282-88. β Liquet 1862, p. 82.
cite-note-footnoteliquet1862136-99. β Liquet 1862, p. 136.
cite-note-footnoteliquet1862138-1010. β Liquet 1862, p. 138.
cite-note-1111. β citereflentz2021Lentz, Thierry (27 September 2021). "Statue of Napoleon in Rouen: "it is a question of respecting our history"". Le Figero. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
cite-note-1212. β citerefmassin2021Massin, Fabien (23 June 2021). "Rouen. Statue de NapolΓ©on en restauration : un petit trΓ©sor dΓ©couvert Γ l'intΓ©rieur !" [Rouen. Statue of Napoleon in restoration: a small treasure discovered inside!] (in French). Actu.fr. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
cite-note-1414. β Commemorative plaque inside the building.
cite-note-1515. β "Il y a 70 ans, Rouen Γ©tait sous les bombes". Actu. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
cite-note-1616. β citerefpailh-s1949PailhΓ¨s, Gontran (1949). Rouen et sa rΓ©gion pendant la guerre 1939β1945. Rouen: Henri Defontaine. p. 255.
Sources
β’ citerefcook1899Cook, Theodore Andrea (1899). The Story of Rouen. J. M. Dent & Co.
⒠citerefliquet1862Liquet, François-Isidore (1862). Rouen, son histoire, ses monuments etc. A. Lebrument.