Building control 1899 (≈ 1899)
Construction by Baert and Boidin.
23 juillet 1925
Birth of Alain Decaux
Birth of Alain Decaux 23 juillet 1925 (≈ 1925)
Historician born in the building.
29 octobre 1975
Registration MH
Registration MH 29 octobre 1975 (≈ 1975)
Protected facades and roofs.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Facades and roofs: inscription by order of 29 October 1975
Key figures
Albert Baert - Architect
Co-designer of the hotel in 1899.
Charles Boidin - Architect
Co-author of project with Baert.
Alain Decaux - Historian and Academician
Born in the building in 1925.
Origin and history
Hotel des Cariatides is a report building located in Lille, in the Nord department, in the Hauts-de-France region. He was commissioned in 1899 by architects Albert Baert and Charles Boidin, and embodies the architectural prestige of the late 19th century in the Place de la République. Its facades, decorated with cariatides and mosaics with fleur de lys (symbol of Lille), combine industrial materials and Beaux-Arts decoration. The ground floor once housed the University's Great Brasserie, an emblematic place of Lille social life.
The building has been marked by its inscription to historical monuments since 29 October 1975, protecting its facades and roofs. It is also known as the birthplace of French academic historian Alain Decaux (1925). Its location at the corner of the street of Inkermann and the Place de la République, served by the metro Republic - Fine Arts, makes it a major urban landmark.
The two cariatids of the facade, one with closed eyes and the other looking at the horizon, symbolize an artistic duality characteristic of architectural eclecticism of the time. Their bare chest and posture supporting a baluster balcony illustrate the influence of ancient models revisited by the Beaux-Arts style. The mosaics and columns enrich this composition, reflecting the bourgeois fascist of industrial Lille.
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