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Origin and history

The Léo-Gipoulou school group, located in Valencia on the national road from Toulouse to Bordeaux, was designed by architect Loïc Corlouër (1894-1982) in a symmetrical style inspired by Italian Renaissance villas. The sloped land, 40 metres wide and 200 metres long, has been built into three terraces connected by monumental steps. The buildings, organized around central recreation courses, include accommodation for teachers, classrooms, a refectory, infirmary and sports facilities. The main façade, adorned with metallic lettering and a clock, combines exposed bricks, reinforced concrete and decorative elements like glass pavements illuminating the entrance hall.

Construction, initiated after the war, has undergone several phases: a preliminary project presented in 1946, prefectural approval in 1949, and work carried out between 1950 and 1955 by local companies such as Viala (Montauban) and Ordy (Cahors). In 1952, the painter Domergue Lagarde, originally from Valencia, was commissioned to decorate the hall as part of the artistic 1%, although the completion of this order remains uncertain. The initial project included six classes of boys, two additional classes, and eight housing units, with an extension in 1959 for a refectory. The architect collaborated with the Baylet family, a local influential, including Jean Baylet, Mayor of Valencia and Director of La Défêche du Midi.

The spatial organization reflects a functional hierarchy: the upper terrace accommodates administration and housing, the intermediate terrace classrooms, and the lower terrace sports grounds. Materials — bricks, reinforced concrete, tiles — and architectural details — ironwork ramp, futuristic appliques, glass cobblestone bays — combine classicism with modernity. The site, now partially reconverted (VFM radio, academic inspection, music school), was enrolled in the Historical Monuments in October 2024 for its built and landscaped ensemble.

Loïc Corlouër, a graduate of the ENSBA in 1922, has marked Valenciad Agen with several achievements, in connection with Jean Baylet, of which he also designed the mansion in Toulouse (registered MH in 2019). His nephew Yvonnick Corlouër continued this collaboration, especially for the Jules-Ferry Girls School. The Léo-Gipoulou school group thus illustrates the alliance between post-war educational ambition, architectural innovation and local anchoring, in a context of reconstruction and modernization of public facilities.

The interior spaces, such as the large hall with appliques in the shape of d'astronaut helmets or monumental staircase adorned with a miniature reproduction of Saturn, testify to a bold aesthetic research. The concrete sanitary "granito", parquet floors and the concrete base of cutes complete this mixture of functionality and ornamentation. The acquisition of the adjacent Rebouis property in 1952 resulted in the addition of three housing units and the development of the surrounding areas, while an extension planned in 1959 (four classrooms) was only partially completed with the construction of the refectory between 1969 and 1971.

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