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Puy-de-Dôme Prefecture Hotel in Clermont-Ferrand dans le Puy-de-Dôme

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine urbain
Hôtel de préfecture
Puy-de-Dôme

Puy-de-Dôme Prefecture Hotel in Clermont-Ferrand

    Boulevard Desaix 
    63000 Clermont-Ferrand
Hôtel de préfecture du Puy-de-Dôme à Clermont-Ferrand
Hôtel de préfecture du Puy-de-Dôme à Clermont-Ferrand
Hôtel de préfecture du Puy-de-Dôme à Clermont-Ferrand
Hôtel de préfecture du Puy-de-Dôme à Clermont-Ferrand
Hôtel de préfecture du Puy-de-Dôme à Clermont-Ferrand
Hôtel de préfecture du Puy-de-Dôme à Clermont-Ferrand
Hôtel de préfecture du Puy-de-Dôme à Clermont-Ferrand
Crédit photo : Aavitus - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1910
Project launch
8 avril 1913
Architectural competition
mai 1914
Start of work
7 juillet 1923
Inauguration
1931
Busset Aborted Project
1949
Fresco by Louis Dussour
7 octobre 1991
Partial registration
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Chamber of deliberations of the General Council with its decoration and desks, on the first floor (Box IP 195): inscription by order of 7 October 1991

Key figures

Amand Elisée Becq - Prefect of Puy-de-Dôme Initiator of the project in 1910.
François Clermont - Winner architect Manufacturer of the building inaugurated in 1923.
Alexandre Millerand - President of the Republic Inaugurate the prefecture in 1923.
Maurice Busset - Painter Controversy project in 1931 (unrealized).
Louis Dussour - Painter and Director Author of the 1949 fresco.
Paul Graf - Sculptor Director of carved decorations.

Origin and history

The Puy-de-Dôme Prefecture Hotel, located at Desaix Boulevard in Clermont-Ferrand, replaces premises deemed unhealthy at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1910, Prefect Almand Elisha Becq denounced the working conditions of departmental staff, where 15 employees died in 20 years due to unsanitary conditions. This situation led to the organization of an architectural competition reserved for professionals from Puy-de-Dôme, won in 1913 by François Clermont, already author of the Hôtel de la Société des Ingénieurs des Mines in Saint-Étienne. Work began in May 1914 after plans were validated between October and December 1913.

The building was inaugurated on 7 July 1923 by Alexandre Millerand, President of the Republic, during the celebrations of the tricentenary of Blaise Pascal. Its neo-classical style and interior decoration, such as Louis Dussour's (1949) fresco depicting illustrious auvergnant figures, make it a symbol of local heritage. In 1931 a controversy broke out around an aborted project by Maurice Busset, who was to paint the battle of Gergau in the stairwell. Partly inscribed in historical monuments in 1991, the prefecture retains remarkable elements, such as the General Council's deliberations room, with its furniture and its neo-Renaissance decor intact.

Prior to its construction, the prefecture had occupied since 1800 the buildings of the former convent of the Cordeliers, built several times (1791–1793, 1804, 1848). The architect Mallay had added a large staircase and a colonnade façade in 1848. The new building, designed by François Clermont and decorated with sculptures by Paul Graf, marks a break with these successive developments, offering modern premises adapted to the administrative needs of the department. Its inauguration coincides with a period of valorisation of the Auvergnat heritage, illustrated by frescoes celebrating local history.

External links