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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The metal house of Poissy, also known as the iron house or villa of the Maladrerie, was built in 1896 by the forges d'Hautmont for Georges F. de Coninck and his wife, according to the patented process of pressed sheet by Joseph Danly. Originally located at the crossing of avenue de la Maladrerie and rue du Champ-Gaillard, it was inhabited until the 1980s, before being abandoned and damaged by a fire in 1981 and the storm of 1999.

The house, classified as a historic monument in 1975, was dismantled in 2016 after decades of expropriation-related degradation for the A14 motorway. Its facades and roofs, partially recovered (64% of the frame), were rebuilt in Meissonier Park. The project, led by the city of Poissy and financed by public and private grants, culminates in its inauguration in September 2020 as a centre for heritage interpretation.

Designed with a double frame (exterior galvanized sheets and interior plaster), the house illustrates the architectural innovation of the late 19th century. It was wrongly attributed to Gustave Eiffel and was actually built by Danly, a pioneer in modular metal construction. Its methodical disassembly saved 30% of the original plate, reintegrated into the reconstruction.

The site, now open to the public, offers exhibitions, educational activities and cultural events. It is part of a heritage path linking the collegiate Notre-Dame de Poissy to the Savoy villa, strengthening the tourist attraction of the city. The Iron House symbolizes both the fragility and resilience of the French industrial heritage.

His notable occupants include the Marais Croisier, the antiquarian Giancarlo Baroni (1960–1980), and the French Forces de l'Intérieur (FFI) during the Liberation. The storm of 1999 accelerated its destruction, but the associative engagement (Friends of the Iron House, 2011) and municipal allowed its revival as a place of memory and transmission.

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