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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The building at 8 Gonsalve-Pertusier Street in Morteau, built in the 1st quarter of the 20th century (1900-1901), is the work of the entrepreneur Jean Giletti, of Italian origin and naturalized French in 1893. The building is distinguished by its cut side at the corner of the Rue Pasteur and Rue Pertusier, its facades in coated limestone rubble and brick, as well as its bays in segment arch. Its interior staircase, made of concrete and wood, is decorated with trompe-l'oeil painted decorations by François Coppa in 1901, representing illusionist landscapes and architectural elements.

Originally acquired by Giletti on a land purchased by Alexandre Estignard (former politician and owner of the Grande Fabrique d'Horlogerie de Morteau), the building was sold from 1905 to Estignard himself to house its staff. He then changed hands several times: bought in 1918 by the watchmaker Alphonse Petit, then in 1926 by music teacher Charles Reuille. In the middle of the twentieth century, its ground floor houses the Aris Establishments watch factory, linked to the local and Swiss watch industry.

The stairwell, classified as a Historic Monument in 2012, is the only protected element of the building. Its painted decoration, signed and dated by Coppa, includes medallions, masks and trophies, while the walls simulate raised curtains revealing landscapes. The building illustrates the influence of Italian and Swiss artisans in mortuacian architecture, linked to the rise of watchmaking. Today, it houses a tattoo shop on the ground floor and apartments on the floors.

The history of the building reflects the economic dynamics of Morteau, marked by the watch industry and cross-border trade with Switzerland. Its eclectic architecture, combining local materials (calcareous, bricks) and artistic decorations, bears witness to the aesthetic and functional ambitions of the period. The protection of its stairwell highlights the heritage value of this decor, a rare example preserved of monumental civil painting of the early 20th century in Franche-Comté.

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