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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The See of the Circle of Union and Turgot is an emblematic building in Limoges, built between 1875 and 1889 in the Abbessail district. Designed to house a Masonic lodge, it combines Haussmannian architecture with a triangular plan inspired by Italian urban palaces. Its first floor, inscribed as historical monuments in 2001, is distinguished by richly decorated salons (Louis XV and XVI styles), a library, a showroom, and a glass window decorated with Masonic symbols and allegories of Painting and Sculpture. An art deco winter garden, added in 1889-1890, completes the set, illuminated by a glass dome and light wells.

The history of the building is marked by a variety of uses: siege of the Cercle de l'Union and Turgot lodge, tribute to the members who died during the First World War, then period of abandonment and squat transformed into residence of self-managed artists. In the 2010s, it serves as a set for filming, such as the series Un village français (2019). Repurchased in 2023 by the Nensex group, it is re-issued for sale at the end of 2025 in the form of a call to co-investors, despite a state deemed fragile. Its eclectic architecture and its decorations (painted woodwork, friezes in porcelain of Limoges) make it a rare testimony of the Masonic and bourgeois heritage of the nineteenth century.

The Tourniol brothers (Alexandre and Hippolyte Salot-Tourniol), limougeaud architects, are presumed to have participated in its conception, although their exact role remains uncertain. The building illustrates the adaptation of Parisian models (haussmannian buildings) to local constraints, with a commercial base and luxurious private spaces. The stained-glass windows, produced by limugeaud artisans, combine Masonic motifs and artistic allegories, reflecting the influence of lodges in the cultural life of the city at that time. Despite its partial ranking, part of the building remains threatened by the absence of a sustainable project.

Located on 1 boulevard de Fleurus, the building is today a private property. Its future will depend on its ability to reconcile heritage preservation with economic viability, in a context where ancient Masonic places often struggle to find a new vocation. The protected elements are limited to the first floor (decree of 9 August 2001), leaving the rest of the building vulnerable to the hazards of its management.

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