Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

This 18th-century building, located in Clermont-Ferrand, is less distinguished by its exterior architecture than by its interior staircase, a remarkable example of the art crafts of the time. The stairwell, classified as a Historic Monument in 1990, houses a wrought iron ramp with great ornamental complexity. Each landing rests on a vault decorated with relief motifs (flowers, shell collars), while the ramp alternates asymmetrical and symmetrical patterns, combining windings, curves and interlaces around a central axis.

The start of the ramp wraps around a bar topped by an open design, marking a spectacular entrance to the ramp. Up to the third floor, two main patterns are repeated: one asymmetrical, dominated by lateral volutes surrounding a central circle, and the other symmetrical, narrower, serving as a separation. At the level of the third floor, the coils of the central panel take back those of the main motif, but with perfect symmetry, illustrating the technical mastery of the blacksmiths of the period.

The building, located at 15 rue Philippe-Marcombes, owes its protection to the exceptional quality of this staircase, whose corresponding roof is also inscribed. Although the building itself has little external architectural interest, this interior element reflects the refinement of the 18th century bourgeois interiors in Auvergne. The location, noted as poor in precision (5/10), however, remains sufficient to identify the building in the historic centre of Clermont-Ferrand.

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