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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The hotel of the Dreux Savings Bank is a building built between 1892 and 1894 by the architect Vidière, at the corner of Metezeau Square. Intended to house both the services of the Savings Bank and those of the town hall, it is characterized by a rich eclectic style, mixing stone for the main facades and brick for the rear facades. Its monumental entrance, marked by a rotunda surmounted by a dome and a lantern, as well as the letters "R.F." engraved on the facade, underline its status as a public building. Inside, the classic decor includes marble columns, a dome decorated in the staircase, and a wedding hall painted by Michon in 1899.

The creation of the Dreux Savings Bank dates back to 1835, with statutes approved by royal decree on 21 April 1836. The first stone of the hotel was laid on 24 April 1893 in the presence of Louis Terrier, Minister of Trade and Industry. Inaugurated in 1894 during a musical competition chaired by composer Émile Pessard, the building received banking services on the ground floor from 1895, while the town hall occupied the first floor from 1897 to 1951. After the closure of the Savings Bank in 2010, the building, bought by the city in 2011, underwent work before being partially occupied by an agency of the People's Bank.

Ranked a historic monument since 26 September 2000 for its entirety, including its clock and mechanism, the hotel retains an almost intact ornamental ensemble. In May 2017, a storm damaged one of the statues of the facade, whose fragments are preserved at the Art and History Museum of Dreux pending restoration. This monument illustrates the alliance between banking and municipal functions, typical of public buildings of the late 19th century in the Centre-Val de Loire region.

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