Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building of Châteaudun is part of the reconstruction project of the city after the devastating fire of 21 June 1723, which destroyed more than a thousand houses. Jules Hardouin, the building controller, was commissioned to redraw the city centre according to a chessboard plan, with a large rectangular square surrounded by public buildings and uniform houses. The square, designed to structure the urban space, was to accommodate prominent pavilions and arcades, but only two of the four buildings planned were built, including the stone town hall (1777).

The reconstruction followed a precise geometric model: the large side of the square was equivalent to the diagonal of a square built on its small side. The facades and roofs of the buildings overlooking the square, including the square, were protected by decree in 1953 for their heritage value. One of the missing pavilions was replaced in the 20th century by the Post Hotel (1900), marking an evolution of the initial public space.

This building, located in 20 Place du 18-Octobre, illustrates 18th-century civil architecture in Châteaudun, combining classical regularity and urban functionality. His inscription in the inventory of Historical Monuments highlights his role in the history of the reconstruction of the city, led by Jules Hardouin after the disaster of 1723.

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