Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The house of the Fayet, improperly named "Château de Sevran", is a bourgeois construction built in the 18th century, as evidenced by an act dated 19 July 1747. This modest building, without foundation, is 48 meters long by 9,50 meters wide, with an apse wing initially surmounted by a balustrade terrace, now extinct. Its designation as a "castle" is more of local use than architectural reality.

In 1875, Alfred Nobel moved to Paris and chose Sevran, then in Seine-et-Oise, to establish his laboratories. This strategic choice is explained by the proximity of the imperial powder factory of Sevran-Livry, created in 1865 under Napoleon III and operational from 1873. Around 1880 Nobel acquired the property of the Fayet, surrounded by a large park, where he built his laboratories in outbuildings. This decision will be later criticized because of the links with local military activities.

The house of the Fayet became an emblematic place of the commune after its acquisition in 1892 by the city of Sevran, which transformed it into a town hall. It retains this function until 2015, when the new city hall was inaugurated. The old Nobel laboratories, typical brick buildings of the late 19th century, still remain today. They now house municipal discounts and a radio amateur club, testifying to the industrial and scientific heritage of the site.

The monument thus illustrates two distinct epochs: that of a bourgeois residence of the eighteenth century, then that of a site linked to scientific innovation and local administrative life. Its history reflects the economic and urban transformations of Sevran, marked by industry and public institutions.

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