Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Hotel Dubois de Crance is a 17th-century mansion located on Orfeuil Street in Châlons-en-Champagne. Originally built for Pierre Gargam, treasurer of France, it features a stone-cut facade and a wood-paned bordered courtyard. Its architecture combines classical elements (lucarnes, moulure cornice) and interior arrangements of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, such as a wrought iron staircase or Louis XV woodwork.

In the 18th century, the architect Jean-Gabriel Legendre changed the facade by adding guardrails and a new cochère door. In 1767, the hotel was acquired by Germain Dubois de Crance, governor of Châlons, who placed his weapons there. The city became the owner of the library in 1821, setting up the municipal library in 1886 and incorporating the façade of the Saint-Loup church in the courtyard. The monument, partially classified since 1932 and 1941, preserves original decorations and a door top linked to Madame Récamier.

The hotel welcomed historical figures such as Denis Diderot, who described its interior in 1759, and architect Legendre. After sheltering the library until 2001, it now bears witness to the urban evolution of Châlons-en-Champagne, between aristocratic heritage and public use. Its successive protections underline the value of its facades, roofs and interior decorations (roadways, parquet floors, panelling).

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