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Origin and history

The Calvados prefecture hotel, located in Caen, Normandy, was built in the early 19th century to replace a private hotel deemed too small. Originally, Count Gosselin de Manneville, mayor of Caen, built around 1770 a residence between the gate of the Pres and the Place Royale (now Place de la République). In 1805 the prefect Charles Ambroise of Caffarelli rented and then bought this hotel to make it his residence, but his condition and size required work.

In 1811, Napoleon I, during his visit to Caen, noted the inadequacy of the place and ordered its enlargement by decree. The architect Jean-Baptiste Harou-Romain proposes several projects, rejected for their excessive luxury or their wet location near the Odon. After discussions, the final plans were approved in 1812, but the work, begun in the same year, was interrupted in 1813. They resumed in 1817 under the direction of Harou-Romain, then his Roman son after his death in 1822. The building was completed in 1822, but extensions were added until 1867.

The former mansion was destroyed in 1848 to give way to an administrative wing, designed by Paul Verolle, successor of the Harou. In 1857, Léon Marcotte added a gallery and a portal decorated with sculptures by Auguste Lechesne, whose imperial symbols were replaced after 1870 by Republican elements. Between 1864 and 1865, a modern wing in metal structure was built for the departmental archives. The building resisted the destruction of the Battle of Caen in 1944, but administrative extensions were added in 1950 and 1968.

The neo-classical architecture of the prefecture, partially classified as a historical monument in 1963 and 1986, includes parlours, a vestibule and a protected stairwell. The gardens, built on old 16th century ramparts, have been classified since 1937. The building illustrates the evolution of the administrative needs of the department, from the Empire to the Republic, while maintaining its original style.

Until 2015, the prefecture also housed services in the Lower Normandy region. After the merger with Haute-Normandie, Rouen became the seat of the new Normandy region, while Caen hosted the regional council. Today, the hotel remains a symbol of prefectural power and a testimony of local administrative history.

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