Construction of hotel 1742 (≈ 1742)
Built by Pierre Rousseau for Charles Trochon.
7 janvier 1926
First protection
First protection 7 janvier 1926 (≈ 1926)
Registration façade and roof at MH.
16 février 2018
Extension of protection
Extension of protection 16 février 2018 (≈ 2018)
New elements in MH.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The street façade and the roof: inscription by decree of 7 January 1926; The following parts of the old house Trochon, located at the 17 quai de la Fosse, according to the right-of-way delimited by a red line on the plan annexed to the decree, appearing in the cadastre on plot No. 147 section HM: all the roofs and facades on street and courtyard, with the turret of latrines and wooden coffers resting on iron consoles, as well as the interior staircase (including the cage): inscription by order of 16 February 2018.
Key figures
Charles Trochon - Sponsor and shipowner
Initial owner, slave and judge-consul.
Pierre Rousseau - Architect
Hotel designer, rock style.
Origin and history
The Trochon House, also known as the Trochon Hotel or Hotel des Zéphyrs, is a rock-style mansion built in the middle of the 18th century on the Quai de la Fosse, in the centre of Nantes. This monument illustrates the refined civil architecture of the period, marked by the influence of maritime trade and urbanization on Feydeau Island. Its noble materials (tuffeau, granite, Sablé marble) and carved decorations reflect the prestige of its sponsor, shipowner Charles Trochon, involved in the slave trade.
The building was erected in 1742 by architect Pierre Rousseau, known for his late baroque works in Nantes. The facade, decorated with mascarons, carved staples and two zephyrs (young winged boys supporting balconies), symbolizes the maritime and commercial activities of its owner. The bas-reliefs representing measuring instruments and a terrestrial globe, surmounted by the gods Neptune and Mercury, underline this link with the sea and the trade. The curved ironwork of the balconies and the sober pediment complete this elegant composition.
Partially classified in 1926 (facade and roof), the Trochon house saw its protection extended in 2018 to all the facades, roofs, and remarkable interior elements such as the staircase and its cage. This monument thus bears witness to the golden age of the port of Nantes in the 18th century, where shipowners and architects collaborated to build residences reflecting economic power and aesthetic ambition.
The history of the house is inseparable from that of its sponsor, Charles Trochon, Sieur de Lorière and Judge-Consul de Nantes. A chamber valet of the Duke of Orleans, he embodies the social ascent of the Nantes traders enriched by triangular trade. The architect Pierre Rousseau, on the other hand, leaves a symbolic signature through the scientific and mythological attributes, marking his work with a technical and allegorical dimension.
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