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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Joinville House, located in the ancient heart of the city facing the audience, illustrates a marked architectural evolution between the 16th and 18th centuries. Originally, in the 16th century, it consists of an elongated wing, whose front façade, corresponding to the present stairwell, is reworked in the second half of the same century. This part is distinguished by a large curved door topped by two ground bays with crossettes, characteristic elements of the Renaissance. The building already reflects an aesthetic and functional research specific to bourgeois houses of the time.

In the 18th century, the house was enlarged by a wing in return for the south side, adopting a more sober style with regular piercings. A door from the Auditoire Street, restored in the 19th century but faithful to its appearance of 1750 (not crowned) bears witness to its urban integration. The interior, transformed at the beginning of the eighteenth century, rivals that of a private hotel: hanging staircase with wrought iron ramp, panelling, parquet floors and fireplaces adorn the rooms, whose decorations (dining room, library) betray the evolution of tastes on almost a century.

The protected elements since 2010 include the two wings (XVI and XVIII centuries), their interior decoration, as well as the gate and the fence wall of the courtyard. This house thus embodies the adaptation of an old home to the standards of comfort and aesthetics of the Lights, while preserving traces of its Renaissance past. The owner, although unnamed, seems to have sought to follow the decorative trends of each era, as evidenced by the painted panelling and doortops of the mid-18th century.

The location of the house at 14 rue de l'Auditoire makes it a privileged witness to the urban history of Joinville. Its designation as a Historic Monument in 2010 highlights its heritage value, both for its hybrid architecture and for its preserved interior decorations. The accuracy of its location is considered "a priori satisfactory" (note 6/10), although its exact address corresponds to the GPS coordinates and archives of the Merimée base. Today, its status (open to visit or not) is not specified in available sources.

The interior decorations, particularly remarkable, offer a panorama of the decorative styles of the eighteenth century. The windows of the dining room, dated from the beginning of this period, contrast with those of the later "yellow room" and the library. These arrangements, coupled with elements such as the wrought iron staircase, reveal a desire to combine functionality and prestige, typical of the affluent houses of the period. The house, by its evolution, thus illustrates the social and artistic transitions between Renaissance and the Enlightenment in Champagne-Ardenne.

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