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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Landes Prefecture, located in Mont-de-Marsan, is an administrative building built in the early 19th century to replace the former Artigues hotel, considered unsuitable. Its origin dates back to the visit of Napoleon I in 1808, who, dissatisfied with his accommodation at the Papin Hotel, signed a decree ordering the construction of a new prefecture on the site of the former convent of Sainte-Claire. This project is part of a desire to modernize the administrative infrastructure of the department, recently established in 1790.

The neoclassical design of the building is entrusted to architects David-François Panay and Augustin Arthaud. The work began in 1810 and ended in 1818, incorporating elements of the convent of the Clarisses, founded in 1691. The facade, adorned with an ion column portal, and bronze doors decorated with pins (local pineapples) reflect the architectural influence of the First Empire. An iron bridge, built in 1844, connects the prefecture to its gardens on the other side of the Twelve, using stones from the former May Bridge of Diù.

The building, which was listed as a historical monument in 1975, welcomed personalities such as the Duchess of Berry in 1828 or President Raymond Poincaré in 1913. It remains a symbol of prefectural power and local history, with interior arrangements modified under the Second Empire. The bridge, classified in 2013, and the Duplantier Hall, former General Council Chamber, recall its central role in the political and social life of the Landes.

The former convent of the Clarisses, integrated into the structure, and the house Duperron, acquired in 1905 to extend the services, illustrate the functional evolution of the site. In 1910, the prefecture became the first place equipped with the telephone at Mont-de-Marsan, marking a technological stage for the city. Today, it embodies both an architectural heritage and an ever-active institution in the heart of New Aquitaine.

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