Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building at 20 rue Lafayette in Lons-le-Saunier is an emblematic building of the first half of the 19th century, built around 1832. It illustrates the architecture of the Restoration period, with a neat facade and a remarkable interior layout. Lafayette Street, drawn in the 18th century, was then a major commercial axis of the city, attracting influential families such as Jean-François Baille, a businessman from a line of traders and bankers. The latter built a rental building combining commercial spaces on the ground floor and housing distributed by superimposed galleries.

The building stands out for its inner courtyard, which is organized around four arcade galleries, served by an open stone staircase. A second building, located on a vaulted cellar, takes the shape of a particular house and gives access, via a covered balcony, to a small garden in the background of a plot. This configuration reflects both the residential needs and the architectural ambitions of the time. The building, partially protected under the Historical Monuments (registration in 1996 and partial ranking in 2003), bears witness to the urban and social evolution of Lons-le-Saunier in the 19th century.

Protected features include street and courtyard facades, stairway, passageway, and courtyard floor. These architectural features, coupled with its history of trade and bourgeois habitat, make it a representative heritage of Burgundy-Franche-Comté. The location, although considered mediocre in accuracy (note 5/10), remains associated with the historic address of Lafayette Street, the economic heart of the city since the 18th century.

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