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, building controller, was tasked with developing a new urban plan in chessboard, centered on a large rectangular square lined with public buildings and uniform houses. The plan included arcades for shops and four monumental pavilions at the corners, only two of which were built: the Town Hall (1777) and another building. The facades and roofs of this building, overlooking the adjacent square and streets, were protected by decree in 1953 for their heritage value.

The place, designed in precise geometric proportions, was to symbolize order and modernity after the disaster. The two missing pavilions on one of the large sides were finally replaced by a post office hotel in the 20th century (1900), breaking with the initial homogeneity of the project. The current private building illustrates the legacy of the Hardouin Plan, combining classical rigour and subsequent adaptations. Its facades, typical of 18th century civil architecture, reflect the urbanistic ambition of the time, where aesthetics was also used to assert municipal power.

Ranked among the Historical Monuments for its external elements (facades and roofs), the building bears witness to the systematic reconstruction of Châteaudun, a rare example in France of a city rethought ex nihilo after a disaster. The Place du 18-October, where it is located, remains a historical and commercial heart, although its architectural unit has been partially altered by the later additions. The accuracy of its location (level 6/10) suggests a clear identification in the urban fabric, despite the absence of the original pavilions provided by Hardouin.

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