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Origin and history

The building, a former mansion located between Lyautey and Sainte-Catherine streets in Nancy, was built in the 3rd quarter of the 18th century for François Jacques Hocquet, advisor to Duke Stanislas Leszczynski. Acquired in 1752 on a land exchanged for a house in the Place de la Carrière, it adopts a typical facade of stanislasian urbanism, simplified compared to the buildings of the Place d'Alliance. The hotel, organized around two courses, included a main apartment on the first floor and outbuildings ( stables, discounts).

In 1777, the hotel was sold to the Countess of Lambertye, then in 1786 to the canon Claude Louis du Houx de Dombasle. During the Revolution, he became a national good and was acquired by Jean-Baptiste Mesny in 1793. In the 19th century, its owners remained unknown. In 1962, the General Council of Meurthe-et-Moselle bought it as a department hotel. The work of 1972-1975, led by Roger-Charles Kruger, almost entirely demolished the building, retaining only the facade registered since 1944.

The rehabilitation includes a decorative programme entrusted to Jean-Jacques Staebler (1974), mobilizing local know-how (crystalies of Baccarat, faiences of Lunéville). In 1995, after the transfer of departmental services, the building was sold to the city of Nancy. Partially disused, he awaits a rehabilitation for an extension of the adjoining hotel (Grand Hotel, Stanislas Square).

The original architecture reflected the codes of the 18th century Lorrain private hotels: crossing porch, enfilade of rooms lit on street, and symmetrical distribution around the courtyards. The facade on Lyautey Street, imposed by Stanislas, illustrates the urban uniformity promoted by the Duke, while subsequent transformations (1970s) erased most of the original interior developments.

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