Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The hotel of Courcy, located 9 rue Martenot in Rennes, was built around 1830 by architect Louis-Guy Richelot, who installed his office and residence there. Inspired by Italian villas, this neo-classical building in coated shale bellows dominates the rue de Paris, the main axis of the city after the Vilaine pipeline. Richelot ceded the property in 1842, ending his period of residence and work on site.

In 1885, the family of La Goublaye de Nantois acquired the hotel and undertook major transformations. The commons are converted into wings, while the workshops Jobbé-Duval and Odorico enrich the interiors with colorful decorations, gilding, mosaics and frescoes, including an allegory painted by Gaston Jobbé-Duval in the stairwell. These changes reflect the eclectic tastes of the era, combining neoclassicism and contemporary influences.

The state became the owner in 1950, before the Brittany Regional Council acquired it in 1983 under the decentralization laws. A complete restoration was carried out between 1984 and 1986, supervised by the Armo-American Restoration Society and the Jobbé-Duval workshop, already involved a century earlier. The assembly room, buried and illuminated by glass windows, was added in 1986 by architect Bertrand Tessier, incorporating a fountain wall and a sculpture by Marta Pan.

The hotel, partially listed as a historical monument since 1973, retains remarkable elements such as its facades, its interior staircase and four rooms with gypsum decorations. Its architecture combines a doric peristyle, an ionic loggia and a gazebo, while its rear, raised to compensate for the elevation, reveals an ingenious adaptation to the terrain. The interior, though transformed, still bears witness to the 19th century's fascist.

Today, the Hotel de Courcy is home to regional institutions, combining heritage and administrative functions. Its history reflects the architectural, political and social changes of Rennes, from its construction under the July monarchy to its present role in the service of local democracy.

External links