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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The house located 5 Place Gambetta in Bordeaux is part of a major architectural complex of the eighteenth century, designed under the impulse of the intendant Tourny around 1745. This project was part of a vast campaign to clean up and embellish the city, transforming land west of the old Dauphine and Dijeaux Gates into an orderly place. In 1750 the Jurats of Bordeaux, local authorities, financed the construction of uniform facades, structured around a ground floor with arcades, a noble floor, an attic and an attic. The original style, inspired by French classicism, was simplified in 1762 under Intendant Boutin, removing the forebody and balustrades to adopt a sober entablement.

Gambetta Square (then Dauphine Square) was only completed between 1770 and 1780, although its style reflected that of the first half of the 18th century. The buildings, made of cut stone, have remarkable characteristics: arches with bosses on the ground floor, window doors decorated with mascarons carved on the first floor, and wrought iron balconies. Some buildings have a second floor, rare for the period. The facade and roof of this house were protected by an order of inscription to the Historical Monuments on 15 November 1927, recognizing their heritage value.

This urban project illustrates the will of the 18th century Bordeaux elites to modernize the city, harmonizing its architectural landscape. Gambetta Square, with its radiant axes, became a strategic crossroads, symbolizing the prestige of Bordeaux under the Ancien Régime. The houses, although designed according to a collective order, also reflect individual variations, such as the ad hoc addition of a second floor. Their preservation today bears witness to the legacy of the major intendant works, marking the city's identity for a long time.

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