Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Desselas mill, located in Saint-Junien on the edge of Vienna, was built between 1887 and 1901 on a former site of mills attested from the sixteenth century. Inspired by the Dumas and Raymond factory, where André Desselas was foreman, this industrial complex extended over a narrow strip 40 metres wide and 200 metres long, between the river and Rue de la Mégisserie. It combined a hydraulic plant (four turbines powered by a dam), skin treatment workshops on the ground floor, and floor dryers, with two boilers dedicated to drying towers. At its peak in 1900, the factory employed 300 workers and exported its production internationally, marking the modernization of the local leather industry.

The site, which has been decommissioned for some 20 years, illustrates the change in production methods from handicrafts to marked industrialization. Its spatial organization, constrained by topography, reflects the technical challenges of the time: piling construction, optimized use of hydraulic energy, and integration into the urban fabric. Ranked a Historical Monument in 2024 for its architectural ensemble and its threshold on the Vienna, it embodies the industrial heritage of Saint-Junien, historically linked to the glovery and leather work. The local community (POL) is currently studying a rehabilitation project to enhance this heritage.

The former Desselas factory is part of a regional context where the leather industry has played a major economic role since the 19th century. Saint-Junien, known for its glovery, has seen the development of infrastructures adapted to the growing needs of production, as evidenced by the technical innovations of the site (turbines, mechanized dryers). The recent decommissioning raises challenges of preservation and conversion, typical of industrial wasteland, while its ranking underlines its importance as a material witness to this working and entrepreneurial history.

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