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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Quatrans house, built around 1460 by tanner Michel Le Fevre, is a medieval mansion located on Rue de Geôle in Caen. It combines a half-timbered facade on the street and stone structures on the courtyard side, typical of the civil architecture of Kenya. The property initially included a tannery along the Petit Odon, reflecting the economic activity of its first owner.

In the 16th century, the house was profoundly remodeled by the heirs Le Fevre: reconstruction of the stair tower and skylights in Renaissance style (1541), addition of a wall and an upper room decorated with bas-reliefs. The mural painting on the first floor (circa 1510) and the painted 17th century ceiling, commissioned by Anne Le Boucher, testify to her high social status. The house changed hands in 1590, passing to Le Boucher, the king's greenmakers.

Damaged during the 1944 bombings (loss of turret and skylights), it was classified as a historical monument in 1953 and partially restored. Originally inhabited until 1944, it then houses the services of the Historic Monuments, then cultural associations like Le Far. Since 2025, the Normandy Region has been considering its sale, relaunching debates on its future vocation (exhibition, offices).

Architecturally, the house is distinguished by its six spans perpendicular to the street, its coach passage and its polygonal tower with spiral staircase. The facade in corbellation, sober but functional, contrasts with the missing Renaissance decorations of the courtyard (high room on Caennais trunks, sculpted skylights). Its current isolation is the result of the destruction of 1944 and the urban developments of the 1960s, which demolished the neighbouring buildings to expand the rue de Geôle.

The site, in archaeological zone since 2010, preserves traces of its successive uses: tannery (XV–17th centuries), palm game (XVIIth century), and administrative offices (XXth–21st centuries). His name comes from a confusion with the mansion of the Four Quatrans, owned by a family of royal tabellions. Today, it symbolizes the challenges of preserving heritage in a changing city centre.

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