Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house located at Georges-Clémenceau courtyard in Bordeaux is part of the architectural complex of Gambetta Square (former Dauphine Square), one of the city's major urban projects in the 18th century. This square, conceived as a rectangular space surrounded by buildings with a classical ordinance, was initiated around 1745 by the intendant of Tourny as part of his work of sanitation and beautification. Although completed between 1770 and 1780, its style reflected that of the first half of the century, with harmonized facades and urban perspectives marked by important arteries such as the Georges-Clémenceau course.

Place Gambetta, after the Place de la Bourse, was the second most significant urban complex in Bordeaux at that time. It concentrates the main routes of the city and symbolizes the authorities' willingness to modernise the public space. The buildings that border it, including this house, were built according to strict rules to guarantee an aesthetic unit. The façade and roof of this building were also protected by a registration order under the Historic Monuments in 1927, highlighting their heritage value.

The intendant of Tourny, a key player in this project, aimed to transform Bordeaux into a healthier and prestigious city, in accordance with the urban ideals of the Enlightenment. Dauphine Square, later renamed Gambetta Square, thus became a rational layout model, where each element – from rectangular to converging streets – responded to a practical and symbolic logic. This monument thus bears witness to a pivotal period when Bordeaux declared its status as a regional metropolis by its architectural heritage.

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