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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, 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. This square, designed to structure the new urban heart, was originally to consist of four large protruding pavilions, two of which were later replaced by the Town Hall (1777) and a post office hotel (1900).

The facades and roofs of this building, representative of post-fire architecture, were protected by an order of 18 August 1953. The original project included arcades for shops and symmetrical buildings, but only two of the four pavilions planned were built. The 18-October square, where the building is located, today illustrates this ambitious plan, combining the 18th century heritage and subsequent adaptations.

The fire of 1723 marked a turning point for Châteaudun, leading to a methodical reconstruction under the direction of Jules Hardouin. His plan, inspired by the classic principles of urban planning, aimed to modernize the city while affirming its prestige. The buildings preserved, like this building, bear witness to this desire for regularity and monumentality, characteristic of the post-disaster reconstructions in France at that time.

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