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Origin and history

The terracotta house of Virebent, located rue des Marchands in Toulouse, is a notable example of eclectic architecture of the 2nd quarter of the 19th century. Designed by Auguste Virebent, it is distinguished by its three U-wings organized around a courtyard, and a facade richly decorated with bricks and white badigeon. The elevations, divided into three registers, are rhythmic by friezes, cornices, and wrought iron balconies. The first floor, decorated with twelve cariatides inspired by those of Jean Goujon at the Louvre, and the second floor, decorated with canned columns with Corinthian capitals, illustrate the exuberance of the style.

The building embodies Auguste Virebent's architectural innovation, which breaks with neo-classicism by reintroducing terracotta, a local Toulouse tradition. The decorative elements, produced in series in the family lighter factory of Launaguet, allow a wide spread of this style in the region. The construction of the building, in the late 1830s, was part of the widening of the rue des Marchands, mentioned in 1834. The building, restored in 2006, combines a functional structure (shops on the ground floor, noble floors) with a bold architectural decor, reflecting Toulouse's urban ambitions at that time.

The facades on courtyards, equally worked, feature pilasters, balconies, and a half-outwork staircase with a dome, highlighting the attention to detail. This staircase, installed at the back of the courtyard, is supported by repetitive columns and pilasters at each level, and was once decorated with statues in niches. The building, partially protected since 1975 and 1992, bears witness to the alliance between industrialization and architectural art, characteristic of the first half of the 19th century in Toulouse. Its decoration, mechanically produced, and its spatial organization make it an emblematic monument of this period of stylistic transition.

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