Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Hotel Foulc, also known as Hotel Columbus de Daunant, is an emblematic civil building in Nîmes, located at 10 rue Briçonnet. Built around 1855 for Edmond Foulc, a rich dealer in garance, manufacturer and collector of art, it embodies the opulence of the nineteenth-century Nîmes bourgeoisie. The building is distinguished by its winter garden, originally built, and its double window added in 1907, transforming the space into a lush greenhouse. The hotel is an architectural testimony of the eclectic tastes of the time, mixing classical influences and technical innovations.

In 1908, the building was purchased by Auguste Columbus de Daunant, a silk merchant from a wealthy family in Nîmes. The latter entrusts its renovation to the architects Afourty and Walker, who give it its current configuration. The winter garden was then rearranged according to a plan inspired by Edward André, a renowned landscaper, before being equipped with a double window around 1907. The ensemble, including facades, roofs, staircase, greenhouse and garden with its nymph, is inscribed historical monument by order of 30 March 1995.

The Hotel Foulc illustrates the evolution of Nîmes private hotels, from bourgeois residences linked to local industry (garance, silk) to protected heritage areas. Its architecture reflects stylistic transitions between the 19th and 20th centuries, with elements such as the fence wall and the nymph of the garden, characteristic of the private gardens of the time. The frequent confusion with the Hotel Columbus de Daunant (23 rue Fénelon) underlines the importance of these families in the economic and cultural history of Nîmes.

The 1995 protection covers not only the main building, but also landscape elements such as the fence wall and the nymph, highlighting the overall value of the site. The architects Walker and Affourty, although less well known than other regional architects, played a key role in adapting the hotel to the tastes of the Belle Époque. Today, the Hotel Foulc remains a remarkable example of the Nîmes civil heritage, linked to the industrial golden age of the city.

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