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Origin and history

The grain hall in Aix-en-Provence originated in an early 18th-century municipal project to restructure the urban space around the Market Square. As early as 1709, the city acquired houses to expand the square and build a wheat attic in response to complaints against traders. The first stones were laid in 1718 under the direction of master masons Melchior Ferréol, Antoine Ferréol, and Charles Laurens, with plans validated by architect Laurent II Vallon. This first, modest building covers only part of the current hall, at the corner of Richelme Square and Vauvenargues Street (then Donalari Street).

Between 1737 and 1738, the municipality expanded the market by purchasing adjacent houses, allowing its extension to Rue du Grand-Horloge. At the same time, between 1741 and 1742, the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville was created by the expropriation and demolition of 16 houses, under the supervision of provincial architect Laurent Vallon. This urban redevelopment was accompanied by the construction of a central fountain in 1756, adorned with an ancient column offered by the Chapter. These changes reflect the desire to improve the city and to modernise its commercial infrastructure.

The current grain hall took shape between 1759 and 1767, under the direction of architect Georges Vallon, son of Laurent. The work, entrusted to entrepreneurs Louis Magnan, Antoine Ricard and Joseph Laty, spans almost eight years due to budgetary constraints. The sculptor Jean-Pancrace Chastel created between 1761 and 1765 the allegorical stone fronton of Calissanne, representing the Rhône (Saturn) and Durance (Cybel), symbols of Provencal fertility. The Baroque style of the façade, marked by a classical symmetry, becomes emblematic of the 18th century Aix architecture. The total cost of the work is £54,696, including £1,500 for Vallon.

After its initial function as a grain market, the building has a variety of uses: it houses the Bourse du Travail from 1896 to 1922, then the services of the T.T.P. from 1923, after a restoration led by architect Liautaud. Ranked a historic monument in 1983 for its facades and roofs, it now houses an annex to the Méjanes Library, a post office and municipal offices. Its evolution illustrates the adaptation of the Aix heritage to the changing needs of society, while preserving its architectural heritage.

The construction of the hall is part of a broader urban planning context in Aix-en-Provence, marked by the creation of public squares and the standardization of facades. The deliberations of the City Council, such as that of 9 August 1742 imposing an architectural plan for new constructions, bear witness to a desire for aesthetic coherence. The use of rents to finance expropriations (64,000 pounds in 1741) also reveals the economic mechanisms of the time, where the municipality combines legal pressure and negotiations to carry out its projects.

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