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Origin and history

The Bonnaffé Hotel, also known as the Bonnaffé House, is a private hotel built in 1785 in Bordeaux by architect Étienne Laclotte for the shipowner François Bonnaffé. Located at 54 Cours du Chapeau-Rouge, it replaces three houses purchased in 1780 for 111,000 pounds (current €1.25 million). The building, designed to dominate the Grand Theatre, houses shops on the ground floor, offices in the basement, and family housing on the upper floors. His honorary staircase, described as "beautiful" by the German writer Madame de la Roche in 1785, and his silver grey living room without gilding mark the spirits with their sober elegance.

Between 1782 and 1787, the neighbouring plots were built to form the Bonnaffé islet, a homogeneous architectural complex although François Bonnaffé had owned only his hotel, one third of the block. The facades, decorated with sculptures (flowers, fruits, oak leaves) and a corbelled balcony, reflect the Louis XVI style. Legend has it that François Bonnaffé died in 1809, at 85, on the balcony of his home.

The hotel was sold in 1844 by his grandson, Édouard Bonnaffé, for 350,000 francs. Today, only the honour staircase and its wrought iron ramp remain. The facades and roofs of the hotel (n°54) and the adjoining buildings (n°48, 50, 52) have been classified as historical monuments since 1965, reflecting their heritage value.

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