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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The house Tessier, also known as the Dumesgnil house, is an emblematic home on the island of La Réunion, located at 44 rue Jean-Chatel, in the city centre of Saint-Denis. Built in the second half of the 19th century, it illustrates the neo-classical architectural current adapted to the context of Réunion. Its symmetrical plan and its original elements – varangue, bar, garden, kitchen and domestic housing – make it an intact testimony of the Creole bourgeois habitat of that time.

The house has been included in the additional inventory of Historic Monuments since March 29, 1996, recognizing its heritage value. The site includes the main house, its outbuildings, the bar (traditional fence) and the garden, all protected by this decree. Its architecture reflects the influence of metropolitan models, while integrating local specificities such as varangue, a semi-open living space typical of Creole houses.

Available sources, including Wikipedia and Monumentum, highlight its importance as a preserved example of 19th-century Saint-denisian urban planning. The accuracy of its location is assessed as poor (level 5/10), with an address confirmed by the Merimée database. No information is provided on its current accessibility (visits, rental) in the documents consulted.

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