Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building of Châteaudun is part of the vast reconstruction project of the city after the fire of 21 June 1723, which destroyed more than a thousand houses. Jules Hardouin, the building controller, was tasked with redesigning the city centre according to a chessboard plan, with a large rectangular square surrounded by public buildings and regular houses. The planned facades were to include arcades and four large projecting pavilions, two of which were built: the Town Hall (1777) and another building.

The central square, conceived as a rectangle with precise geometric proportions, had to be lined with arcade shops. On its large sides, four buildings higher than the neighbouring houses were planned, but only two were erected: the stone town hall and a second pavilion. The other two, originally planned on the opposite side, were replaced in the 20th century by a post office hotel (1900).

The building in 8 Place du 18-October is part of the protected buildings, with its facades and roofs inscribed in the Historical Monuments since 1953. This urban project reflects a desire for modernization and order after the disaster, combining functionality (shops, public buildings) and classical aesthetics. The precision of the plan, with its alignments and its hierarchy of volumes, bears witness to the influence of the architectural principles of the eighteenth century.

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