Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building of Châteaudun is part of the vast reconstruction project of the city after the great 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. This square, designed in precise geometric proportions, was to accommodate commercial arcades and four monumental pavilions at the corners, two of which were finally built: the Town Hall (1777) and another stone building.

The original project provided for two additional pavilions on the opposite side of the square, but they never came into being and were replaced in the 20th century by the Post Office Hotel (1900). The facades and roofs of the building, representative of this orderly reconstruction, were protected by an order of inscription on 18 August 1953. The exact address, Place du 18-Octobre and 5 rue Gambetta, places the building in the heart of the reconstructed city centre, testifying to the urban ambition of the eighteenth century.

The reconstruction of Châteaudun illustrates the principles of rational urban planning of the period, combining functionality (archive shops, marketplace) and symbolism (public stone buildings highlighted). Hardouin's plan, although partially realized, was a lasting mark of the urban landscape, with a square designed as a space of sociability and power, framed by administrative and commercial buildings. The registered building fits into this set, reflecting the standardized civil architecture after fire.

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