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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building of the 96–98 Rue Colbert in Tours is a log house, probably built in the 15th or 16th century. Its façade on street, two exterior staircases (one helical, the other with straight flights) and interior chimneys have been classified as historical monuments since 1946. The building, divided into two parts as early as the 17th century, underwent changes in the 18th and 19th centuries, including an alignment of its facades between 1818 and 1839.

Colbert Street, where the building stands, follows the path of an ancient way and was until the 18th century the main artery of Tours, connecting the Basilica of St.Martin with the Cathedral of St.Gatien. This area of the Old Towers then concentrated the commercial and craft activities of the city, reflecting its medieval and reborn importance.

The building's architecture is distinguished by its interior courtyard with two adjoining staircases, each serving half of the building. This system, rare in Tours, illustrates the successive adaptations of urban habitat between the Middle Ages and modern times. The protected elements (north side, stairs, chimneys) testify to the constructive techniques in vogue in the 15th–12th centuries, despite the subsequent transformations.

Ranked in 1946, the building embodies the civil heritage of Tourangeau, marked by the coexistence of medieval structures and later redevelopments. Its history reflects the urban evolutions of Tours, between conservation of the old building and adaptations to modern standards (alignments of the 19th century).

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