Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hotel de La Villestreux, also called Hotel Villetreux, is a neo-classical mansion built in the middle of the 18th century on the Place de la Petite-Hollande, at the western end of Feydeau Island in Nantes. He was commissioned by Nicolas Perrée de La Villestreux, a wealthy merchant, shipowner and slave, and was designed by the Parisian architect Landais between 1743 and 1754. The building, built on a piece of furniture thanks to a Dutch-style "grill", reflects the opulence of the native traders of the time, with luxurious apartments and refined decors.

In 1776, the hotel housed several families of traders, including La Villestréux, in a 20-room apartment, as well as officers and servants. During the Terror, Jean-Baptiste Carrier lived there, followed by representatives on mission, including those negotiating the Treaty of La Jaunaye. In the 19th century, the hotel was renowned haunted, a mystery solved by the discovery of a lizard transmitting noises from the stables.

The facades, adorned with grimaçant mascarons, and monumental stairways were listed as historical monuments in 1932 and 1986. Damaged during World War II, the porch was restored. The architecture, marked by Dutch influences and rock, bears witness to Nantes' commercial fascist, between maritime trade and slave trade.

The inner courtyard, decorated with mascarons symbolizing Mercury and Neptune, recalls the activity of the sponsor. The wrought iron staircases and the rock panelling of the apartments highlight the luxury of the era. Personalities such as Ursule Lenormand du Buisson, linked to Carrier, or painter Étienne Bouchaud, born in the hotel in 1898, are associated.

The protected elements include facades, roofs, ironworks and stairs, registered in 1932, and the porch in 1986. The hotel illustrates the urban and social history of Nantes, between commercial prosperity, Revolution and local legends.

The mascarons, with various expressions, and the interior decorations, partially preserved or displaced (as at the Château de Saint-Mars-la-Jaille), make this monument a unique testimony to the heritage of the 18th century Nantes.

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