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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The town hall of Euville, located in the Meuse department in the Grand Est region (formerly Lorraine), is a unique public building in France built in the style of École de Nancy, emblematic movement of Art Nouveau. Ranked a historic monument since 1992, it embodies the alliance between artistic innovation and local promotion: its construction was decided in 1900 to highlight the Euville stone, known for its use at the Paris Opera. The project, entrusted to architects Henry Gutton and Joseph Hornecker, members of the École de Nancy, was delayed before being completed in 1909 with the intervention of Eugene Vallin, who redesigned the façade to fully integrate the aesthetic Art Nouveau.

The façade, marked by sinuous lines and carved ribs, reveals a desire for functional transparency: the large central window, decorated with stained glass windows by Emmanuel Champigneulle, opens the door to the hall of the city council. The building illustrates the "total art" advocated by the École de Nancy, where architects and artisans (such as Louis Majorelle for luminaires or Jacques Gruber for stained glass) collaborate without hierarchy. Inside, the stairwell, illuminated by a Gruber stained glass window, and the wrought iron ramp signed Edgar Brandt testify to this creative cohesion. The furniture, including an office and a wardrobe in Vallin, was classified in 2000.

The history of the city hall was marked by a fire in 1994, partially destroying the building. The restoration, started in 1996 with municipal funds, was completed in 2007, giving Euville its Art Nouveau jewel. The stained glass windows had already been protected by 1975, highlighting their heritage value. This monument symbolizes both the economic influence of Euville, linked to its stone quarries, and the cultural audacity of a rural municipality with an avant-garde style for a public building.

The choice of Art Nouveau for a town hall is explained by the desire to modernise the image of Euville, then prosperous thanks to the extraction of its limestone. The architects merged the Renaissance influences (original Gutton project) and the organic motifs of the École de Nancy, creating a unique synthesis. The projection of the roof, aligned to the council room, and the integration of stained glass in the structure reflect this search for harmony between form and function, a principle dear to Vallin. The building remains today a rare testimony of Art Nouveau public architecture in rural areas.

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