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Origin and history

Hôtel Joubert-Bonnaire, located 12 rue Chevreul in Angers, is a private hotel built between 1807 and 1811 for Joseph-François Joubert, sailing canvas manufacturer and mayor of Angers. This project, entrusted to architect Louis François, symbolizes Joubert's social success, close to local political power. The building, costing 81,026 francs without materials, adopts a classic plan between courtyard and garden, with facades decorated with ionic columns and sculptures by Pierre-Louis David, father of the famous sculptor David d'Angers.

Joseph-François Joubert, married to Françoise-Marie Bonnaire, inherits the manufactures of his father-in-law and develops a major textile activity, employing up to 6,000 people in the region. Appointed mayor in 1801, he received the Legion of Honour in 1802 and became a deputy in 1807. The hotel, completed in 1811, reflects its status: a richly decorated parlor, carved woodwork and a pediment supported by colossal columns. The materials, such as the tuffeau, and the interior and exterior sculptures, signed David Père, underline the luxury of this bourgeois home.

Passed by inheritance to his daughter Anne Catherine, wife of Frederic Moreau, and then to their daughter Anne Françoise, married to Raoul d'Estriché de Baracé, the hotel was sold in 1886 by their four children. In the 19th century and in the 1930s, Bougère Bank added two wings, transforming the communes into offices. Since 1975, the building has been owned by the Town Hall of Angers and houses municipal services. The facades, roofs, courtyard, garden and gate were listed as historical monuments in 1978, thus preserving this testimony of the industrial and architectural history of Angelvin.

The architect Louis François, dit François père, known for his work in the prefecture and cathedral of Angers, designs a sober but elegant building. The central body, with two levels and five spans, is framed by wings added later. The original commons, destroyed around 1880, gave way to functional extensions for the bank. Despite these changes, the large living room retains its original decor, offering a rare example of integrity between the original plans and their realization. The hotel thus illustrates the evolution of private hotels from private residences to public use.

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