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Origin and history

The Delattre factory, located in Roubaix, Hauts-de-France, was built in 1840 by architect Achille Dewarlez. It succeeds a cotton spinning, then wool, founded in 1832 by Henri Delattre. This urban industrial site, organized around a quadrilateral bounded by the streets of the North, Curoir and Sevastopol, is distinguished by its ordered brick facades. The ground floor has arches, while the upper floor retains traces of windows today, all overhanged by a prominent cornice. Despite the damage suffered during the First World War, the factory remains one of the oldest preserved examples of early industrialization in Roubaix.

The factory architecture reflects the standards of 19th-century manufacturing, adapted to textile production, which was then dominant in the region. Its partial inscription in the Historical Monuments in 1998 (facades and roofs) underscores its heritage value, notably as a witness to the beginnings of the industrial revolution in the North. The building, owned by the municipality, also embodies the urban evolution of Roubaix, where industry has shaped the local landscape and economy. The materials used, such as brick, and quadrilateral layout were typical of the factories of the time, designed to optimize space and logistics.

Although partially damaged during the First World War, the Delattre factory survived as a symbol of the age of Roubaisian textile gold. Its architect, Achilles Dewarlez, applied a sober and functional style, characteristic of the industrial constructions of the period. Today, it offers a concrete overview of the working conditions and spatial organization of the first factories, while recalling the central role of figures like Henri Delattre in the economic development of the city.

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