Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Rollinat High School of Argenton-sur-Creuse, originally designed as a higher primary school, was built between 1921 and 1924 by architects Gaud and Grelier. His plan in U, combining modernity Art Deco (geometric forms, linear frames) and tradition (brick, stone), makes it a rare example of the regional architecture of the Entre-deux-guerres. The main building, flanked by two winged pavilions, rises on three floors above a semi-entered level, with an ornamentation highlighting the decorative arts, notably via stylized sgraffits and mosaics.

Between 1924 and 1931, the same architects raised the wings and replaced the terraces with two-sided roofs, thus expanding the whole. In 1951-1952, the architect Pierre Bourguin transformed the gymnasium into workshops covered in shed, adapting the premises to emerging technical needs. This monument, ranked among the few regional school creations of the time, illustrates the educational and architectural evolution of the early twentieth century.

The facades, roofs, galleries and fences were inscribed in the Historical Monuments by order of 18 December 2008, recognizing their heritage value. The high school, now general, thus keeps track of a time when higher primary education played a key role in technical and citizen training. Its departmental ranking in 2015 (2nd out of 8) reflects its educational sustainability, while anchoring its architectural heritage in the landscape of Argenton-sur-Creuse.

The technique of sgraffite, rediscovered during its construction, and the integration of Art Deco elements (mosaic, stylized motifs) underline the aesthetic ambition of this public project. The architects Gaud and Grelier, then Bourguin, marked this place by a synthesis between academic functionality and decorative innovation, reflecting the cultural aspirations of the Third Republic.

Located on Rue du Lycée, the establishment is part of an urban setting where school architecture becomes a social marker. Its history reflects the changes in teaching in France, from a higher primary school to a general high school, while preserving an iconic built heritage of Indre and the Centre-Val de Loire.

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