Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The former Darboussier warehouse, located at Lefebvre wharf in Pointe-à-Pitre, was built around 1870 for the Darboussier sugar mill. It was mainly used to store the barrels of rum produced by this factory, founded in 1867 by Jean-François Cail and Ernest Souques. Its architecture, adapted to the post-seismic norms of 1843, combines a stone and brick ground floor with a wooden floor, topped by a sheet roof.

This building illustrates the construction techniques adopted after the earthquake of 1843, with a masonry ground floor to limit the risk of fire and a wooden floor to withstand earthquakes. The wooden facade of the floor was worked to imitate the cut stone. The inner courtyard, initially open, was covered with a concrete slab in the 1960s.

The warehouse, with part of the Darboussier plant, was listed as historical monuments on February 15, 2008. It reflects the economic importance of the sugar industry in Guadeloupe in the 19th century, as well as local architectural adaptations to natural hazards.

Access to the courtyard was via a cochère door located on Rue Peynier. Two stairs allow access to the floor, where an old gallery opened on the courtyard. This monument is now fully protected, including its wooden elements and its mixed structure.

The precise location of the warehouse is at the corner of the Lefebvre wharf and Peynier Street, in downtown Pointe-à-Pitre. Its inscription in historical monuments in 2008 highlights its heritage value, both for its architecture and for its link to the industrial history of Guadeloupe.

External links