Project design 1894 (≈ 1894)
Vallin exposes the ceiling of his dining room.
1895-1896
Construction of building
Construction of building 1895-1896 (≈ 1896)
Directed by Eugène Vallin and Victor Prouvé.
1897
Bronze creation
Bronze creation 1897 (≈ 1897)
Proven sign the allegorical door handle.
1916
Bombardment
Bombardment 1916 (≈ 1916)
Partial destruction of the pedestrian door.
1992
Bronze flying
Bronze flying 1992 (≈ 1992)
Found and deposited in the museum.
3 juin 1994
Complete classification
Complete classification 3 juin 1994 (≈ 1994)
Inventory of historical monuments.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Building (Box BC 26): Registration by order of 3 June 1994
Key figures
Eugène Vallin - Architect and cabinetmaker
Master and contractor.
Victor Prouvé - Painter and sculptor
Author of cariatide and bronzes.
Louis Guingot - Nemandian painter
First occupant of the floor in 1896.
Origin and history
The Vallin building and workshop, located at Nos. 6 and 8 Lobau Boulevard in Nancy, was designed in 1894 by cabinetmaker and architect Eugène Vallin. Influenced by Viollet-le-Duc, he broke with academicism by erecting in 1895-1896 a rational building, among the first Art Nouveau achievements. Vallin occupies the ground floor, while painter Louis Guingot moved upstairs in 1896. The decoration, entrusted to Victor Prouvé, includes a bronze cariatide and metallic elements decorated with plant motifs.
The pedestrian gate, damaged by a bombardment in 1916, lost its top panel, now kept at the Nancy School Museum. The bronzes of entry, stolen in 1992 and recovered, are also deposited there. Partially classified in 1976 (roofs), the whole was fully protected in 1994. The workshop, with its apparent metal structure, and the house, at no 6, illustrate the technical and aesthetic audacity of Vallin, pioneer of Art Nouveau in Lorraine.
The building is part of the movement of the École de Nancy, founded in 1901, which unites artists and industrialists to promote a total art, integrating furniture, architecture and decoration. Vallin played a key role, collaborating with figures such as Émile Gallé or Victor Prouvé. The house-workshop, through its hybrid program (housing and place of creation), prefigures the modern principles of spatial flexibility and unity of the arts.
Innovative materials, such as "volcanic cement" (replaced later), and symbolic details, such as the Allegorical Door Handle of the Renamed, underline Vallin's desire to reconcile functionality and poetry. The building dialogues with the Hotel Tassel de Horta (Brussels, 1893-1895), marking the European diffusion of Art Nouveau.
Today, the building bears witness to the heritage of the École de Nancy, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2023 for its "exceptional contribution" to art and architecture. The Musée de l'École de Nancy preserves several original elements, including the bronze lock and handle signed Prouvé (1897).
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