Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The city hall of Doullens, built in 1898 by the architect Anatole Beloved, replaces the former abbey of Saint-Michel, today disappeared. This eclectic brick and stone building, typical of the late 19th century, houses municipal institutions. His honorary staircase, illuminated by an allegorical stained glass window offered by the deputy Charles Saint, leads to the official halls, including the wedding hall decorated with a painting by Monchablon evoking the Concordat of 1801.

On March 26, 1918, during World War I, a historic meeting was held in a room on the first floor. Raymond Poincaré and Georges Clemenceau attended for France, as well as the British Alfred Milner and Douglas Haig. They decided to create a single command of the Allied armies, entrusted to General Ferdinand Foch. This event, crucial for the aftermath of the conflict, will be commemorated in 1937-1938 by artistic adjustments.

The "Single Command Room" was transformed into a place of memory between 1937 and 1938. A commemorative window, designed by Gérard Ansart and directed by Jean Gaudin, is installed alongside two canvases by Lucien Jonas (1936-1938) and bronze busts by Clemenceau and Lord Milner, carved by François Sicard in 1918. The hall, classified as a historical monument in 1998, also retains furniture and antiques.

The building, owned by the commune, illustrates the municipal architecture of the Third Republic. Its symmetrical façade, rhythmic by frontons and a clock, dominates the central square. The lanternnon summital and the Mansart roof in slate underline its prestige. The 1898 glass roof, masterpiece of the master glassmaker Hubert, symbolizes republican values (work, freedom, fraternity).

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