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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Hôtel de Pénautier, located in Toulouse in the Saint-Étienne district, is a private hotel built between 1650 and 1654 for Henri Reich de Pennautier, adviser to Parliament's requests. Inspired by Parisian hotels, it adopts a classic plan between courtyard and garden, with sober brick facades, initially animated by a polychrome coating now gone. The courtyard of honour, accessible by a gate in the middle of the corner, is framed by regular elevations to rectangular windows, typical of the seventeenth century.

In 1712, the hotel was acquired by Jean-Mathias de Riquet, son of Pierre-Paul Riquet (engineer of the Canal du Midi). His son, Jean-Gabriel Amable de Riquet, commissioned in the middle of the eighteenth century the facade on Louis XV style garden, decorated with triangular frontons, segmental windows, mascarons of the four seasons, and wrought iron balconies. This facade, as well as the commons (destroyed in 1963), reflect the influence of the Toulouse architecture of the 1750s, such as the Hotel of Espie.

The hotel remained in the Riquet family until 1815, when it was sold to the Count of Villèle, Mayor of Toulouse and Prime Minister under Louis XVIII and Charles X. In the 19th century, the interiors were redesigned, and the commons were razed in 1963. Ranked a Historic Monument (façades, roofs, 18th century living room, garden and nymph), it now houses an antique shop. Its history illustrates the evolution of the Toulouse elites, from 17th century parliamentarians to the aristocratic families of the Enlightenment.

Architecturally, the hotel is distinguished by its symmetry and sculpted details. The garden façade, in ten spans, highlights a central body framed by bosses and surmounted by a pediment. The hanging and oculi windows animate lateral elevations. The mascarons, symbolizing the seasons, recall the common iconography of aristocratic gardens. The absence of current coating reveals the brick structure, emblematic of Toulouse.

The site, partially protected as early as 1946 (entry of stables), saw its facades classified in 1963 and 1997, including the 18th century living room and the garden with its wooden trellis. These protections underline its heritage importance, mixing parliamentary heritage (Pennautier) and nobiliary prestige (Riquet, Villèle).

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