Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building of Châteaudun is part of the vast reconstruction project of the city after the devastating fire of 21 June 1723, which destroyed more than 1,000 houses. Jules Hardouin, the building controller, was commissioned to redraw the city centre according to a chessboard plan, with a large rectangular square lined with public buildings and uniform houses. The arcade facades and pavilions on the large sides were to structure this space, although only two of them were made, including the stone town hall (1777).

The Place du 18-Octobre, the heart of this project, was originally to consist of four large projecting buildings, higher than the nearby buildings. Only those at the bottom of the square were built, while the pavilions on the other side were replaced in the 20th century by a post office hotel (1900). The facades and roofs of the building, overlooking the square with return to the adjacent streets, were inscribed in the Historical Monuments by order of 18 August 1953 for their architectural and historical value.

This urban project reflects the classic principles of symmetry and rationality of the eighteenth century, while adapting local constraints. The 1723 fire marked a turning point in the history of Châteaudun, offering the opportunity to modernize its center according to the aesthetic and functional cannons of the era. The vestiges of this plan, like the protected building, today illustrate this urban ambition.

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