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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house located 2 Gambetta square in Bordeaux is part of the major architectural complex of the Place Dauphine (present-day Gambetta square), designed in the 18th century as the second urban pole after the Place de la Bourse. This project was part of a desire to clean up and embellish the city, initiated around 1745 by Intendant Tourny, who ordered the development of land to the west of the Dauphine and Dijeaux gates. The Jurats of Bordeaux made a loan in 1750 to finance the construction of uniform facades, organized on the ground floor with arcades, a noble floor, an attic and an attic. The original plans, revised in 1762 by an anonymous architect under Intendant Boutin, simplified the decor by removing the forebody and balustrades, opting for a sober entanglement and a discreet height.

The square was only completed between 1770 and 1780, although its style remained representative of the first half of the 18th century. The buildings, made of stone, have a strict prescription: arches with bosses on the ground floor, window doors decorated with mascarons and wrought iron balconies on the first floor, sometimes with a second floor. Two major arteries open at the corners of the rectangular square, highlighting its central role in the Bordeaux old network. The façade and roof of this house were classified as Historic Monument by decree of 15 November 1927, bearing witness to their heritage value.

This urban project illustrates the influence of the Enlightenment on French urban planning, combining functionality and classical aesthetics. Gambetta Square, with its harmonized buildings, reflects the ideal of regularity and size characteristic of the expanding port cities in the 18th century, where Bordeaux played a key economic role thanks to maritime trade, especially with the colonies. The arcades, typical of the marketplaces, facilitated exchanges while offering a visual unit still visible today.

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