Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The House of the People of Saint-Malo is a building built in 1920 on the plans of architect Edmond Eugène Mantrand, then municipal architect of Saint-Servan. Located on the edge of the station district, the port area and an industrial district, it was initiated by the Union of Trade Unions to serve as a place of assembly and workers' organization. The project, supported by the municipalities of Saint-Malo and Saint-Servan as early as 1915, resulted in a two-storey pavilion on Avenue Jean-Jaurès, marked by Art Nouveau influences.

In 1926, a festive hall was added as an extension of the original pavilion, completing the ensemble dedicated to trade union and cultural activities. The façade has a mosaic bearing the motto "One for all, all for one", symbol of the values of solidarity carried by the workers' movement. The building, owned by an association linked to the CGT, remains one of the few houses of the people still preserved in Brittany. Its inscription in historical monuments in 2011 highlights its heritage and memorial importance.

The People's House embodies a major architectural and social heritage, bearing witness to the history of Breton trade unionism at the beginning of the twentieth century. Today it hosts exhibitions and conferences, such as those celebrating its centennial in 2020 or paying tribute to local figures, such as the painter Geoffroy Dauvergne. Its spatial organization, preserved since its creation, reflects the original functions of meeting, office and festive space.

The architecture, combining functionality and aesthetic Art Nouveau, is part of a changing urban context, between industrialization and the affirmation of social rights. The collaboration between municipalities and trade unions for its implementation illustrates the local anchoring of the project. The house of the people of Saint-Malo is thus a tangible marker of the struggles and aspirations of the workers of his time.

External links