Construction of barracks 1972 (≈ 1972)
Work by architect Jean Bossu.
26 août 2011
Additional inventory
Additional inventory 26 août 2011 (≈ 2011)
Partial protection of the monument.
20 octobre 2018
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 20 octobre 2018 (≈ 2018)
Total protection (buildings and soil).
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The gendarmerie barracks, in full, with the ground of the right-of-way, as delimited in red on the plan annexed to the decree (cadastre section AI plot 268): classification by order of 22 October 2018
Key figures
Jean Bossu - Architect
Manufacturer of the barracks in 1972.
Origin and history
The Saint-Benoît gendarmerie barracks, located 8 rue André Duchemann in the east of Réunion Island, was built in 1972 by architect Jean Bossu. It is distinguished by its organization of low-rise houses, with a main entrance marked by the main building. The facades, initially almost monochrome (white coatings and blue touches), were standardized in off-white during successive raids, while the raw concrete staircase was painted in green. This project illustrates a functional and integrated approach to the local urban landscape.
The barracks were added to the additional inventory of Historic Monuments on August 26, 2011, before being fully classified (buildings and right-of-way) on October 20, 2018. This protection recognizes its heritage value, both for its architecture and for its role in the institutional history of La Réunion. Owned by the municipality of Saint-Benoît, it embodies the adaptation of public infrastructures to the climatic and social specificities of the island in the twentieth century.
Jean Bossu, the project's chief architect, designed a set where the regularity of volumes and the sobriety of colours meet the tropical constraints. The sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum) underline the importance of this site as a testimony of the overseas administrative architecture, while noting the transformations experienced by the original materials. The location, specified by the Merimée base, confirms its anchoring in the urban fabric of Saint-Benoît, a key commune of the East Reunion.
