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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The house, located at 250 rue de Lille in Roubaix, is an architectural project of the early twentieth century, commissioned around 1907-1908 by Arthur Balcaen, an industrialist specializing in biscuits. This project was led by architect Paul Destombes-Pennel, assisted by his son Paul Destombes-Prévost. The building is distinguished by a brick facade of yellow trimming, integrating various materials such as stone, concrete, ceramic and enamelled lava, creating striking chromatic contrasts. The composition plays on asymmetric spans and an imposing bowl-window, reinforcing the originality of the ensemble.

The interior design of the ground floor organizes a large hall serving three enfilade rooms with fireplaces. The heritage interest of the building rests on this alliance between aesthetic innovation (material plays, volumes) and bourgeois functionality. The facade and roof, as well as the outbuildings on garden, were inscribed in the Historical Monuments by decree of 18 December 1998, highlighting their architectural value.

Arthur Balcaen, the house's sponsor, embodies the Romanian industrial bourgeoisie of the time, linked to the economic boom of the city, particularly in the agri-food sector. The architects Destombes, father and son, illustrate a generation of creators combining local traditions (use of brick) and modern influences, as evidenced by the integration of ceramics and concrete. This monument thus bears witness to the social and artistic dynamics of the Hauts-de-France at the turn of the century.

The location of the house at 250 rue de Lille, in a probably residential area, reflects the growing urbanization of Roubaix, marked by the establishment of cossuous homes for industrial families. The partial inclusion of the building (facade, roof, outbuildings) as part of the Historical Monuments in 1998 confirms its status as a representative example of bourgeois domestic architecture of the period, combining prestige and innovation.

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