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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Hotel Lamolère is an 18th-century mansion located in Bordeaux, built between 1775 and 1778 by architect Victor Louis for Jean-Baptiste de Lamolère, a rich slave planter from Santo Domingo. The latter, anoublied in 1759 thanks to his sugar fortune, acquired a prestigious location in the islet Louis, a new area created to finance the Grand-Théâtre. The hotel, completed in 1778, was quickly rented as early as 1782 and seized as a national property in 1795 after its owner fled during the Haitian Revolution.

The building changed hands and usage several times in the 19th century: it was transformed into a hotel furnished under the name Hotel de Fumel, and welcomed personalities such as General Murat (1802), General Junot (1805), or Johanna Schopenhauer and his son Arthur (1804). The painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun stayed there in 1820, praising the exceptional view of the port of the Moon. In 1806, the caterer Gabriel Salles, tenant and then owner, operated this establishment there until his death in 1820.

In the 20th century, the hotel became the headquarters of the South West Industrial Bank (1957), which expanded it in 1973 by merging with the nearby Raby Hotel. Ranked a historic monument in 1963 for its facades, vestibule, staircase and wooded lounges, it was acquired in 2007 by the Aquitaine Region. After restoration, it has been home to regional services (Heritage, Tourism, ICT) and a documentary centre open to the public since 2011.

The neo-classical architecture of Victor Louis, characteristic of the Louis islet, is distinguished by its uniform facade imposed by a decision of the Council of State of 1730. Inside, there are original elements such as the wrought iron staircase Louis XVI style and a company lounge with woodwork and white marble fireplace, described in an inventory of 1823. The double address (5 place Jean-Jaurès and 2 rue Esprit-des-Lois) reflects its angular position in the island.

The building embodies the links between Bordeaux and colonial slavery: Lamolère's fortune, which comes from plantations in Santo Domingo, finances its construction. Its seizure in 1795, linked to the emigration of the owner during the slave revolts, illustrates the upheavals of the Revolution. The hotel also bears witness to Bordeaux's social life, welcoming travellers and artists, before becoming a symbol of the regional heritage reinvested for public purposes.

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