Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The villa Lenoir, located at 140 rue Juliette-Dodu in Saint-Denis (La Réunion), is a remarkable house built between 1852 and 1857 by Charles Lenoir, a sugar planter and mayor of Sainte-Rose. Originally owned by the Lenoir family, it passed into the hands of several Creole families before being acquired by the colony of La Réunion in 1919, then transferred to the Department in 1946. Its architecture reflects the style of Creole boxes, typical of the sugar elite of the time.

In 1963, the Ministry of Justice made it the official residence of the first President of the Court of Appeal. Ranked a historic monument in 1984 (grill, facades and roofs), it is sold in 2013 in Farouk Mangrolia, which restores it and installs the AGORAH, a centre of territorial studies. Since 2024, it has hosted the FUZEC Réunion accounting firm. Its history thus combines architectural heritage, judicial power and contemporary reconversion.

The protected elements include the wrought iron grille with its bahut wall (called bar) and the guétali (typical exterior staircase), as well as interior decorations and outbuildings. The villa bears the name of its builder, Charles Lenoir, but also that of its successive occupants, such as the families Adam de Villiers or Paul Ruben de Couderc, the last private owner before its public acquisition.

Its location in the heart of Saint-Denis, the administrative capital of Reunion, highlights its symbolic role in the institutional history of the island. The recent restoration has preserved its original features while adapting to modern uses, illustrating the dynamic of valuing the heritage of Réunion.

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