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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Grand-Est
  4. Meurthe-et-Moselle
  5. 54000 Nancy

  6. Building

Building en Meurthe-et-Moselle

Meurthe-et-Moselle

Building

    13 Rue Raugraff
    54000 Nancy
Immeuble
Immeuble
Immeuble
Immeuble
Immeuble
Immeuble
Immeuble
Immeuble
Crédit photo : Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1886
Opening of the first store
1899-1901
Construction of building
1922
Building expansion
1927-1930
Major transformation
25 février 1994
Front classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Front of the former shop Vaxelaire and Pignot (Box BX 71): registration by order of 25 February 1994

Key figures

François Vaxelaire - Sponsor and contractor Founder of department stores *Au Bon Marché*.
Charles André - Departmental architect Author of the original plans (1899-1901).
Émile André - Architect and designer Designer of the front and furniture.
Eugène Vallin - Cabinetmaker and builder Director of front and carpentry.
Jacques Gruber - Master glass Creator of door windows.
Raphaël Oudeville - Architect Responsible for transformation (1927-1930).

Origin and history

The Vaxelaire building, located in Nancy in the department of Meurthe-et-Moselle (Grand Est region), is a former department store built between 1900 and 1901 for François Vaxelaire, Belgian entrepreneur founder of the department stores Au Bon Marché in Brussels (1860). Vaxelaire had previously opened a first establishment in Nancy in 1886, rue Saint-Dizier, under the sign Vaxelaire, Pignot & Cie. This ambitious project, led to the corner of St. John's and Raugraff's streets, mobilized several major figures from the École de Nancy, an artistic movement emblematic of Art Nouveau locale.

The design of the building was entrusted to the departmental architect Charles André, already author of the shop on Rue Saint-Dizier in 1896, assisted by his son Émile André and cabinetmaker Eugene Vallin. The masonry work was carried out by the Danish entrepreneur Alexis Boudot, while the metal structure was executed by engineer Frédéric Schertzer. The front, the most remarkable element, was designed by Émile André and made by Vallin, with ceramics from Alexandre Bigot (manufacturing at Sea, Loir-et-Cher) and iron grilles forged by the locksmith Albert Blosse, according to the plans of Émile André.

The interior reflected the same artistic concern: the windows of the doors were created by Jacques Gruber, master-glassman of the Netherlands, while the wall decoration was provided by the house Majorelle, another key actor of the École de Nancy. The furniture, designed in collaboration with Émile André and architect Henry Gutton, was made by cabinetmaker Georges Schwartz. After enlargements in 1922, the building underwent a major transformation between 1927 and 1930 under the direction of architect Raphaël Oudeville, retaining only the original frontage, classified as a historic monument on 25 February 1994.

This building embodies the alliance between modern commerce and Art Nouveau aesthetics, characteristic of Nancy at the turn of the 20th century. Its history also reflects the economic dynamics of the period, marked by the rise of department stores and the influence of Belgian entrepreneurs in France. Today, the protected front, located at 13 rue Raugraff, remains the last visible vestige of this large-scale architectural and commercial project.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum