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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Hotel de Poissac is a Bordeaux mansion built between 1775 and 1778 for Étienne-François-Charles Jaucen, Baron of Poissac. Born into a family of Tulle merchants, Tulle was enriched by his marriage in 1769 with Marguerite Dupuy, heiress of three coffee plantations and 400 slaves in Santo Domingo. These colonial revenues financed the acquisition of an archdiocese land and the construction of the hotel, entrusted to architect Nicolas Papon, perhaps according to François Lhote's plans.

The land, ceded by the archdiocese to finance the future Rohan Palace, hosted a building inverting urban codes: the garden, with a gate and guards' pavilions, opens onto the courtyard of Albret, giving all the looks of a country house. The neo-classical facade, decorated with ionic pilasters and pediments, contrasts with the baroque portal reported in 1903 from the Pichon Hotel. Inside, the wrought iron staircase and the woodwork of the living rooms testify to the original fascist.

During the Revolution, the hotel became a national property after the confiscation of Poissac's property, emigrated to London in 1791. In the 20th century, it will house Georges Guestier's art collection, merchant and patron, before being transferred to the University of Bordeaux. Today, it hosts rectorate services, including occupational medicine. Its history reflects the links between Bordeaux heritage, colonial slavery and political change.

The hotel enjoys numerous protections in respect of historical monuments: partial classification in 1939 (facade, staircase, lounges) and 1961 (garden, pavilions, gate), supplemented by an inscription in 1930 for the rest of the building. These measures underline its architectural and memorial value, between the legacy of the Enlightenment and the memory of slavery.

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