Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The City Hall of Villeurbanne, built between 1931 and 1934 by architect Robert Giroud, Grand Prix de Rome in 1922, embodies an ambitious urban project led by Mayor Lazare Goujon. This three-storey reinforced concrete building, topped by a 65-metre square belfry, is part of the modern architectural current of the 1930s, mixing academic rigour and neoclassical elements like its 50 canned columns. It is an integral part of the "Cité des Gratte-ciel", an architectural ensemble designed to affirm Villeurbanne's identity in front of Lyon, symbolizing a desire for autonomy and modernity.

The monument is distinguished by its preserved interior decoration, combining ceramic, blue and black marble, mahogany, iron and copper. Located at 28 Aristide-Briand Street, it dominates Place Lazare-Goujon and faces the National Popular Theatre, highlighting its central role in the civic and cultural life of the city. Its monumental style, characterized by strict symmetry and academic order, reflects the aesthetic and political ideals of the inter-war period, where public architecture was to embody stability and progress.

Since 29 April 1991, the facades, roofs, the main stairway, the halls on the first and second floors, the Wedding Room and the Commissions Hall fireplace have been protected as historical monuments. This classification recognizes the heritage value of a building designed to be both a municipal symbol and a place of memory, where every detail — noble materials of harmonious proportions — bears witness to a time when Villeurbanne displayed its nascent modernity.

The Town Hall is also part of a wider urban dynamic, that of the "Scratch" built by Maurice Leroux between 1931 and 1934. These buildings, among the first in France to use large-scale reinforced concrete, formed a new city centre for Villeurbanne, marking a break with Lyon's architectural traditions. Robert Giroud's choice, after a competition, and the collaboration with Lazare Goujon illustrate a desire to create a public space that is both functional and prestigious, capable of competing with the neighbouring metropolis.

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