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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The building located 5 Pascal Street in Clermont-Ferrand is a large house of the second half of the eighteenth century, representative of the civil architecture of this period. Its neo-classical façade is distinguished by ground-framed openings and crossettes, the only ornaments with the rock ironwork of the window supports. These elements reflect a stylistic transition between late baroque and emerging classicism, typical of the urban elites of the time.

The entrance door provides access to a corridor leading to a rectangular stairwell, whose wrought iron ramp is a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Initially, a volute wraps around a central axis topped by a design, while the intermediate panels alternate two symmetrical patterns: complex windings surrounding a circle containing a stylized floret. Between the first intermediate level and the first floor, this circle carries two initials intertwined (L and R), perhaps those of the sponsor or of a craftsman, although their identity remains unknown.

The bearings, supported by arched or curved vaults according to their level, illustrate a technical mastery of the 18th century carpenters and masons. The ensemble, inscribed in the Historical Monuments by order of 23 March 1990, specifically protects the facades, roofs and stairwell with its ramp. This protection underscores the heritage value of a building both modest by its destination (a bourgeois dwelling) and exceptional by the quality of its interior decorations.

The choice of a sober ornamentation (crossings, ironwork) contrasts with the decorative excesses of the early century, announcing the clean aesthetic of neo-classicism. The initials L and R, although not documented, evoke a desire to mark space in a discreet but permanent way, common practice among the wealthy owners of the pre-revolutionary Auvergne.

The location of the building in the centre of Clermont-Ferrand suggests a residential area frequented by the merchant or intellectual bourgeoisie. At that time, the city, the then administrative capital of the province of Auvergne, experienced an economic boom linked to the trade in canvases and luxury crafts, as evidenced by private hotels and cossue houses still visible today.

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