Crédit Fondcier de Madagascar

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Crédit Terrain de Madagascar is an emblematic building located at 13 rue Saint-Paul, in the city of the Port, on the island of La Réunion. Built in the first half of the 20th century, this building is a masonry of basalt and coated bellstones, with a spun wooden balcony and a frame covered with mechanical tiles, reflecting a typical colonial architecture. The name of the bank, painted on the yellow ochre coat, remains visible above the doors and windows, recalling its original use.

Founded in 1919 as a subsidiary of the Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes, Crédit Foncier de Madagascar opened its branch at the Port in 1926. Maritime messages, active in trade and transport in the Indian Ocean, play a key role in the economic development of the region. The branch closed before the Second World War, and the building was then transformed into a hotel, then into an office for the National Navy, before being decommissioned and bought by the commune of the Port in 2001.

The building, long unoccupied, was struck by a peril order before being selected for the Heritage Lotto in 2020. A grant of €75,000 allows the initial restoration work to be started. Its facades and roofs are finally listed as historical monuments by decree of 3 December 2021, thus marking the recognition of its heritage and architectural importance.

The building, now owned by the municipality, illustrates the economic and urban transformations of La Réunion in the 20th century. Its history, linked to that of Maritime Messageries and port development, makes it a valuable testimony of the island's colonial and commercial past. The recent restoration aims to preserve this heritage while offering it a new vocation, still to be defined.

External links