Start of transformations 1999 (≈ 1999)
Thierry Ehrmann initiates the destructuring of the relay.
2004
First municipal complaint
First municipal complaint 2004 (≈ 2004)
The mayor complains about non-compliance with urban planning.
16 février 2006
Initial condemnation
Initial condemnation 16 février 2006 (≈ 2006)
Remediation ordered under daily penalty.
13 septembre 2006
Artistic recognition
Artistic recognition 13 septembre 2006 (≈ 2006)
The Lyon Court of Appeal qualifies the DDC as a work of art.
16 décembre 2008
Rehabilitation order
Rehabilitation order 16 décembre 2008 (≈ 2008)
Time limit of 9 months imposed by Grenoble.
20 mars 2025
Official recognition
Official recognition 20 mars 2025 (≈ 2025)
Ministry of Culture validates its status as a total work.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Thierry Ehrmann - Artist and owner
Initiator of the transformation in 1999.
Pierre Dumont - Mayor of Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d'Or (2004)
Complaint for non-compliance with urban planning.
Origin and history
The House of the Chaos, originally called the Domaine de la Source, was originally a 17th-century post office in Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d-Or, itself from the ancient Protestant temple of Saint-Romain-de-Couzon. This village, now divided into two separate communes, retains an architectural heritage strictly regulated by the Bâtiments de France. Under the impulse of artist Thierry Ehrmann, owner since 1999, the house has been radically transformed: broken walls, black painted facades, addition of post-apocalyptic elements like car carcasses or a crushed helicopter. These changes, carried out without authorization, have triggered local and judicial controversy.
The House of the Chaos has become a free contemporary art museum, the Museum of the Body, exhibiting 4,509 works of more than 70 artists in a spirit of "perpetual creation", inspired by the Factory of Andy Warhol. The site, lined with video surveillance, evokes a military no-man-land, incorporating references to media events such as the attacks of 11 September 2001 or riots in the suburbs. It also houses the headquarters of the Server Group and its subsidiary Artprice, headed by Ehrmann. In 2025, the Ministry of Culture officially recognized the House of Chaos as "total art work", ending decades of debate on its artistic status.
As early as 2004, the unauthorized changes caused a judicial conflict between Thierry Ehrmann and the town hall of Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d Sentenced in 2006 to a fine of 200 000 euros for "no prior declaration", Ehrmann saw his home recognized as a work of art by the Lyon Court of Appeal, thus avoiding its destruction. However, the Grenoble Court of Appeal ordered its rehabilitation in 2008 within 9 months, under penalty of penalty. After the exhaustion of French remedies, Ehrmann appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2013, while the judicial battle continued until 2022, when the municipality finally suspended its proceedings.
La Demeure du Chaos offers a free and free tour, offering visitors posters and the book Shame to You, as well as the possibility to sign a petition of support. The site, which claims 181,000 signatories for its preservation against 110 for its closure, is part of a provocative and committed artistic approach. Associated publications, such as Abode of Chaos Spirit or the Catalogue raisonné, document this work in perpetual evolution, while reports (France 2, France 24) and filmography enrich its international reputation. The place remains a symbol of tensions between artistic creation, urban planning rules and social acceptance.
