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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The town hall of Roubaix, located on the Grand Place opposite the church of St Martin, was built between 1907 and 1911 to replace a previous building that became too small. The city, at the time the world's capital of wool, had 120,000 inhabitants and required a building commensurate with its industrial growth. The original project, entrusted to the local architect Ernest Thibeau in 1903, was partially realized (left wing, inaugurated in 1907) before being taken over by Victor Laloux, famous for the station of Orsay. The inauguration took place on 30 April 1911, marking the height of Roubaix as a textile city.

The facade of more than 100 metres, decorated with friezes and monumental sculptures, illustrates the stages of wool work (harvest, spinning, weaving, dyeing). Six 2.40 m high reliefs and two allegorical statues (Peace and Abundance) frame the municipal coat of arms, evoking industrial castles and ram, a lainer symbol. The frontons of the side pavilions celebrate commerce (Mercury) and work (Pax Labor currency). Inside, the monumental staircase and the living rooms (Pierre de Roubaix room, honorary lounge) bear witness to a fabulous decor, with frescoes and allegorical paintings.

During the First World War, the town hall was occupied by Bavarian troops in 1914 and served as a siege at the Kommandantur. Ranked a historic monument in 1998, it benefited from a complete restoration of its façade and roof between 2011 and 2013. Today, there remains an emblem of the industrial golden age of Roubaix, mixing architectural heritage and workers' memory.

Artists who contributed to his decoration include the sculptors Hippolyte Lefèbvre (statues of Peace and Abondance), Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier (harvest scenes and spinning), and painters Jean-Joseph Weerts (fresco de la Charte des Drapiers) and François Schommer (ceiling of the wedding hall). These works, protected since 1998, underline the central role of wool in the Romanian identity.

The building is part of an urban complex marked by the Grand Place, served by the metro, and embodies the transition between a medieval artisanal town (excited in the fresco of Weerts) and a modern industrial metropolis. Its campanile and 6,000 m2 of surface reflect the municipal ambition under the mandate of Mayor Eugene Motte, the project's sponsor.

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