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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Lelasseur hotel, also known as the Lasseur hotel or the Lasseur-Lorgeril hotel, is a neo-classical mansion built around 1775 by architect Jean-Baptiste Ceineray as part of the development of the Saint-Pierre and Saint-André courses in Nantes. Inspired by the hotel of Aux (built in 1772), it is located in the Oratory Square, at the corner of Henri-IV and Georges-Clemenceau streets, in the Malakoff - Saint-Donatien district. Its initial symmetrical plan reflected the 18th-century aesthetic cannons, with a pilaster-adorned facade and a triangular pediment.

In 1802, the hotel welcomes Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon I, at a reception marked by his fascist. This presence illustrates the prestige of the place at a time when Nantes, a dynamic port, attracted political and economic elites. The building, then in full glory, symbolized the city's influence under the Consulate and Empire.

Around 1890, rue Georges-Clemenceau (then " rue du Lycée") was enlarged, leading to a radical change in the hotel. The architect François Bougoüin moves the main entrance to the eastern façade and reconstructs the forebody and the pediment to the west to preserve symmetry, despite the loss of one sixth of the original length. The facades and roofs, as well as the chapel of the Oratory included in the hotel, are classified as historical monuments on 28 March 1952.

Today, the Lelasseur Hotel is characterized by a seven-span facade, a central forebody framed with composite pilasters, and a slate mansard roof. The sober decor, typical of neo-classicism, includes cartridges on the lintels of the windows and an egg-eye on the pediment, flanked by abundant horns. These elements bear witness to the influence of ancient models and to the search for balance in this architectural style.

The transformations of the 19th century, though pragmatic, partially altered Ceineray's initial work. A cadastral plan of 1835 reveals the proportions of origin, while a document of 1889 attests to changes in street alignment. Despite these adaptations, the hotel maintains aesthetic consistency, illustrating the evolution of urban constraints and architectural norms between the 18th and 19th centuries.

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