Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Maison Raspail, located in Arcueil in Val-de-Marne, is an emblematic construction of the second half of the 19th century. It was built in 1840 for the Raspail family, then transformed with the addition of a library in 1857 to the northwest of the building. This place became a meeting place for scientist François-Vincent Raspail (1794–1878), who lived there from 1876 until his death. The house is distinguished by its main building with porch, marquise and veranda, as well as careful interior decorations: studded ceilings, boxed woodwork, and reproductions of Bouchardon bas-reliefs on the first floor. The cellars, partly prior to construction, have three levels.

The property is inseparable from François-Vincent Raspail, a chemist, doctor and politician, who made it an intellectual gathering place. After his death in 1878, the library, originally a meeting room, was officially converted into a library in 1881. The house was also linked to local industrial activity: in 1856, Émile Raspail, an engineer, set up a Drogerie factory in Laplace Avenue. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1993, the house includes in its protection the floor of the courtyard and its gate. Today, it belongs to a private company and retains architectural elements bearing witness to its scientific and family history.

The architecture of the Raspail House reflects the influences of the 19th century, with "F/R" monograms engraved on the gables and a registered facade. Interior spaces, such as the library of a square floor, highlight its use both residential, scientific and social. The accuracy of its location (51 Laplace Avenue) and its state of conservation (noted 8/10) make it a major local heritage, although its access to the public remains unspecified in the available sources. The house thus embodies the heritage of the French scholars of the 19th century and their anchoring in the territory of francilian.

External links