Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The water castle of Luçon, built between 1912 and 1913, is an iconic Art Deco building located between the Place du Petit Champ de faire and the Avenue du Président-Wilson. Sponsored by the Société luçonnaise d'eau et d'électricité, it was designed by architect Jean Bardin and engineer René Guinaudeau, with the intervention of Georges Clemenceau. Its reinforced concrete structure, a first in the region, was intended to supply drinking water to the cavalry barracks and the commune.

The 500 m3 tank, topped by a domed dome, was accessible by a spiral staircase. The attached power plant, powered by Faymoreau coal, operated the pumps. The building, decorated with ceramics and terracotta lion heads, was originally to include a lighthouse, never installed. Decommissioned in 1961, it was classified as a historic monument in 1992 after being threatened with demolition.

Today, the water castle is closed to the public due to its state of degradation, but it remains a major architectural and technical testimony of the early twentieth century. Its late Art Deco style, technical innovations (Hennebique armed concrete) and its historical role make it a unique heritage in the Pays de la Loire. The groundwater table, still visible in its basement, recalls its initial use.

The monument, owned by the municipality, is partially visible from two facades. Its replacement by the Château d'eau des Thirteen-Vents in 1982 marked the end of its practical use, but its classification allowed to preserve this industrial and architectural vestige.

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