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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Dordogne Prefecture Hotel, located in Périgueux, has its origins in a succession of administrative occupations. In 1800, the prefecture first moved to the former Episcopal Palace, near St.Front Cathedral, before moving in 1809 to the premises of the former Jesuit College, transformed after the sale of the building by the city to the department for 40,000 francs. The works, led by architect Louis Combes, cost 135,000 francs and include the demolition of the college church, whose high altar is transferred to the cathedral. This site remained the prefecture until 1864, when it became, much later, the François-Mitterrand Cultural Centre.

Between 1859 and 1864, a new building was erected under the initial direction of the departmental architect Auguste Louis Édouard Bouillon, replaced in 1863 by Auguste Dubet after his eviction. The architectural style blends classicism and neat interior decorations, as evidenced by the ceilings decorated with medallions and trompe-l'oeil, or the vestibule with Tuscan columns. The building, inaugurated in 1864, suffered three fires between 1875 and 1882, without irreversible damage. He later welcomed personalities such as Félix Faure (1895) and Raymond Poincaré (1913).

The prefecture is partially classified as historical monuments on 29 October 1975 (not 2025, probable error in the source), protecting its facades, roofs, living rooms, dining room and vestibule. Its exterior architecture is distinguished by a three-tiered forebody, framed with pilasters and surmounted by a broken pediment, while the eastern facade has two superimposed orders. The interior elements, such as the neo-Louis XV woodwork or the double-revolution staircase, reflect a stylistic eclecticism characteristic of the 19th century.

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