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Origin and history

The building of the former customs office of Reims, located Place Royale, was built between 1759 and 1761 as part of an urban project initiated by Daniel-Charles Trudaine, Intendant des Ponts et Chaussées. He wanted to consolidate the tax services (Customs and Aids) into a "Hotel des Fermes", symbolizing administrative centralization under the Old Regime. The building was part of the Royal Square, reflecting the architectural and political ambition of the time.

In 1791, in the revolutionary context, the Hôtel des Fermes was declared national and sold to Mr Henriot for 130,000 pounds. The building then experienced various trade assignments in the 19th century, including a Champagne wine dealer, a clothing store ("Dewachter"), and a coffee shop. Its history was marked by the destruction of the First World War: only the facade survived the bombings, as evidenced by an inscription on the central portico.

Reconstructed between 1930 and 1936, the building became the sub-prefecture of Reims in 1935, a function it still retains today. The facades and roofs, classified as historical monuments since 1953, were restored between 2010 and 2011 under the direction of the DRAC. The tympanum sculpted by Louis-Philippe Mouchy, representing Mercury surrounded by commercial allegories, and a stained glass window commemorating Franco-German reconciliation (1962) recall its dual heritage: fiscal and diplomatic.

Between 2010 and 2018, major works (€4.2 million) allowed for the relocation of OFII and the modernization of interior spaces. The U-shaped building with three facades (Place Royale, rue du Cloître, rue du Grand-Credo), thus embodies almost three centuries of administrative, economic and urban history.

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