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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The building, located at the corner of an island in Toulouse, is part of a 19th century urban beautification program. It is part of a set of 27 buildings bordering Wilson Square and the alleyways of President Roosevelt. Its construction, carried out between 1824 and 1834, follows the plans of the municipal architect Jacques-Pascal Virebent, in a neoclassical style marked by symmetrical facades and careful ornamental details.

The facades of the building have seven spans on the Roosevelt alleys and four on the boulevard de Strasbourg. The ground floor is rhythmic by arcades housing shops and entrances, surmounted by an entresol. The windows on the first floor, rectangular, are decorated with cornices and false railings with balusters, while a band of attic crowns the whole. On the boulevard de Strasbourg, terracotta balusters were replaced by wrought iron railings, reflecting later modifications.

This building is part of a municipal desire for architectural modernization and harmonization, typical of the 19th century urban transformations. Its inscription in the Monuments Historiques in 1974 (for its facades and roofs) underscores its heritage importance, notably for its return to the 1, boulevard de Strasbourg. The official address, 11 aisles of President Roosevelt, confirms its anchoring in the Toulouse landscape.

The location of the building, both on a major axis (Roosevelt driveways) and near a central square (Wilson Square), makes it a witness to the commercial and social dynamics of the time. Its sober yet elegant neoclassical architecture illustrates the influence of Parisian models in major provincial cities during the 19th century.

Available sources, including Monumentum, indicate that the building is still visible today, although its exact location is considered to be of average accuracy (note 6/10). The facades and roofs protected in 1974 remain the most remarkable elements of this heritage, photographed notably by Didier Descouens under Creative Commons license.

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