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Origin and history

The Hotel de Maiche is a private hotel located at 74 Grande Rue in Besançon, in the Boucle district. Built in the 18th century, it is distinguished by its facade restored in 1780 by the bisontin architect Jean-Charles Colombot. The building is organized around two parallel houses, one on three-storey street, the other on two-storey courtyard, both built on vaulted cellars. Its access is through a decent cochère driveway, reflecting the irregularity of the parcel resulting from the meeting of two adjacent plots.

Acquired in 1741 by Joseph Guyot de Bermont, seigneur of Maîche, the hotel underwent major changes as soon as it was purchased. A first two-storey façade project, proposed in 1741, was refused by the City, while a second, on a square floor, was approved in 1742. In 1780 Charles François Morel de Thurey, a new owner and councillor in parliament, modernized the facade on street by adding a balcony above the gate. The interior decorations, including the living room of the house on street, are also renovated at that time, perhaps by Colombot.

In the 19th century, the hotel was raised and transformed into a rental building: the main house gained two floors, while the secondary house and the wings of communes gained one. A large central staircase is enlarged and doubled by two secondary stairs to serve the new levels. In the 20th century, an 18th-century Butterfly arcade was denatured, and a building at the back of the courtyard, once a stable, served as a printing house. The hotel has been listed as a historical monument since 1994, with architectural and decorative elements of the 18th century, despite its subsequent adaptations.

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