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Origin and history

The Gambetta post office, located in Caen, was designed by architect Pierre Chirol and inaugurated on 10 July 1932 by President Albert Lebrun. This project, born of the need to replace a small office installed since 1826 in the town hall, is marked by debates about its location. Three sites were envisaged in 1909, but it was finally a plot between Rue Auber, Boulevard du Théâtre and Place Gambetta, which was retained in 1924. The state finances the construction, while the city provides the land. The works, begun in 1929, ended despite incidents, including the death of a worker in 1932.

The building, inspired by Julien Guadet's central posts, combines reinforced concrete and Caen stone facades, with a U-shaped organization around a courtyard. During the Second World War, he suffered damage during the Battle of Caen in 1944: two bombs fell in the courtyard, and the right wing was seriously damaged. Despite this, the Resistance quickly restored the telephone exchange. After the war, Pierre Chirol supervised his restoration and added a fourth wing, completed in 1953, in a style faithful to the original.

In 1991, the building became the property of France Telecom after the partition of the PTTs. In 2010, its facades and roofs were listed as historical monuments. In 2021, two thirds of the building was sold to be converted into high-end apartments, while La Poste retained the ground floor for its services. The architecture, combining classicism and Art Deco, makes it a major testimony of the French postal heritage.

The initial project, marked by urban constraints, required the coverage of Petit-Odon and the disappearance of a municipal school. The inauguration, originally planned with President Paul Doumer, was finally presided over by Albert Lebrun after Doumer's death in May 1932. The building, strategic during the occupation due to its telephone exchange, is camouflaged to avoid bombings.

The interiors, which were completely modernised in 1993, have no record of the original traffic. Today, the Gambetta post office remains a symbol of the architectural and functional evolution of public services in the 20th century, while adapting to contemporary uses.

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