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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Hotel de l'Armateur, also known as Hotel de Chosal, is a private hotel built in 1748 in Dunkirk, in the northern department. It was built for Jean-Etienne de Closal, lieutenant of the royal headquarters of the slave traders and shipowner. This building of classical architecture, far from the local Flemish style, replaced the former hospital Saint-Julien founded in 1452, and preserved a watchtower and a sculpture of St Julien's Hospitaller on his pediment.

The monument was designed as a work place suitable for trade, with cellars serving as warehouses and a watchtower to monitor the arrival of ships. The outbuildings ( stables, laundry, tanks) were destroyed in the 19th century. In the 20th century, the ground floor was transformed to accommodate a trade after 1945. The town of Dunkirk acquired the hotel in 1977 and restored it in 1978 under the direction of Charles Waldschmidt, architect of the Historical Monuments.

Ranked a historic monument in 1984 for its façade, roof, interior staircase and watchtower, the Shipowner's Hotel now houses municipal services. Its architecture is distinguished by the use of red and beige bricks, as well as by stone elements such as the gate and the pediment. The site, open for hire for shootings, bears witness to Dunkirk's maritime and commercial past.

The watch tower, the only vestige of St. Julian's Hospital, and the pediment sculpture recall the medieval history of the place. Originally, the set was covered with slate, replaced by broken pieces. The hotel thus illustrates the urban and architectural evolution of Dunkirk, between hospital heritage, port activity and municipal heritage.

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