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Origin and history

The Bébian nursery school, formerly the Mortenol library, is an emblematic building located at 7bis rue Alsace-Lorraine, at the corner of Rue Bébian in Pointe-à-Pitre. Built in 1930 on the foundations of a bourgeois house destroyed by the cyclone of September 1928, it adopts a classic architectural style of the West Indies: a masonry ground floor and a wooden floor, topped by a columned gallery. This mixture of materials and forms reflects the persistence of local traditions despite modern reconstructions.

Originally, the building belonged to the Loyseau family, then to René Ruillier, before being bought by the municipality in 1964. It housed the Mortenol Municipal Library, a major cultural site in the city. In the 1980s, he was transformed into a kindergarten, changing his vocation while maintaining his heritage status. Its inscription to historical monuments in 1979 protects its facades and roof, testimonies of this architectural and social past.

The area where the building stands, close to the church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, was historically a bourgeois sector of Pointe-à-Pitre. The post-cyclone reconstruction of 1930 preserved the Antillean aesthetic codes, like the aerated wooden galleries, adapted to the tropical climate. Today, although dedicated to education, the building remains a symbol of the resilience and urban evolution of Guadeloupe in the 20th century.

The sources available (Wikipedia, Monumentum, Mérimée base) underline its dual interest: heritage, for its architecture, and memorial, for its successive role in local culture and education. The Creative Commons license for associated photos and its precise location (GPS coordinates) also make it a documented subject for researchers and visitors.

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