Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Génin-Louis building, located at the corner of Saint-Jean and Bénit streets in Nancy, was ordered between 1900 and 1901 by Jules Genin and his wife Camille Louis, grain merchants. Designed by architect-engineer Henri Gutton and his nephew Henry Gutton, it is the first nean building with an apparent metal structure combining commercial use (graining on the first two levels) and residential use (housing on the upper floors). The technical realization, bold for the time, is entrusted to engineer Frédéric Schertzer for the riveted steel frame, while the decorative elements — ceramics of Alexander Bigot and glass windows The Glycines of Jacques Grüber — reflect Art Nouveau aesthetics.

The building embodies the synthesis advocated by the École de Nancy between functionality and ornaments, with a facade where the metal structure dialogues with plant motifs (forged iron pads, glass glycines). In 1902, a fire destroyed the attic, and the building, threatened with demolition in 1973, was saved by a restoration in 1975 before its partial classification to historical monuments in 1976. Despite the disappearance of some original elements (marquise, spears), it remains a unique testimony to the collaboration between architects, engineers and Lorraine artisans at the turn of the 20th century.

A representative of the rationalist current inspired by Viollet-le-Duc, the building is distinguished by its innovative constructive process, criticized at the time but pioneer. The decoration concentrates on the golden (bow-window) and the lower berries, where riveted steel is next to stylized floral details. The architect Émile André set up his offices there in 1902, highlighting his attachment to the art milieu of the Netherlands. Today, the facades and roofs, including the golden ones, are protected, preserving this emblematic heritage of the Great East.

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