The (, ''

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

'') is a municipal building in

Bourges Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

, central France, standing on Rue Jacques Rimbault.

History

Early meetings of the aldermen of Bourges took place in the cloister of the priory of Notre Dame de la Comtale which was destroyed in the Great Fire of Bourges in 1487. The first dedicated town hall in Bourges was the Hôtel des Echevins (Aldermen's House), in Rue Édouard-Branly, which was completed in 1492. In 1682, the aldermen moved to their second town hall, Palais Jacques-Cœur, also known as Hôtel de la Chaussée, which had been erected in Rue Jacques-Coeur for the Grand Argentier (Great Treasurer) of France,

Jacques Cœur Jacques Cœur (, ; in Bourges – 25 November 1456 in Chios) was a French government official and state-sponsored merchant whose personal fortune became legendary and led to his eventual disgrace. He initiated regular trade routes between Fran ...

, in the mid-15th century. The palace had been acquired by the statesman,

Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the countr ...

, in 1679, and he made it available to the aldermen three years later. The aldermen were required to share the building with the commercial and criminal courts which made the accommodation very cramped and, in 1865, the council moved to its third home, Hôtel de Paskiewicz, located halfway up Rue Moyenne. This arrangement continued until 1910, when the Palais Archiepiscopal (Archbishop's Palace) became available, following the implementation of the

1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State The 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and State (French language, French: ) was passed by the Chamber of Deputies (France), Chamber of Deputies on 3 July 1905. Enacted during the French Third Republic, Third Republic, it establishe ...

. This building, the fourth town hall, was commissioned by Archbishop Michel Phélypeaux of La Vrillière in 1679, and became vacant after the death of Archbishop Pierre-Paul Servonnet, the last archbishop to occupy the palace. Following the liberation of the town on 7 September 1944, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the chairman of the local resistance committee, Marcel Plaisant, arrived at the Archbishop's Palace and acclaimed a former councillor, Charles Cochet, as the new mayor. By the 1980s, the Archbishop's Palace was too small, and the council, led by the mayor, Jacques Rimbault, decided to commission a new building. The site they selected had been occupied by the Grosse Tour, which had been commissioned by Philip II in 1189 as a place from which to control the town. It was demolished in 1653. The new building was designed by

Claude Vasconi Claude Vasconi (24 June 1940 – 8 December 2009) was a French architect. Vasconi was born in Rosheim, and was educated at the ''Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et de l'Industrie'' in Strasbourg. In 1964, he set up office in Paris. After de ...

and Jean-Paul Chazelle in the

modern style The Modern Style is a style of architecture, art, and design that first emerged in the United Kingdom in the mid-1880s. It was the first Art Nouveau style worldwide, and it represents the evolution of the Arts and Crafts movement which was nativ ...

, built in

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...

and glass and was officially opened on 13 March 1992. The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage facing onto Rue Jacques Rimbault and followed the curves of the road. The main frontage was faced with alternating bands of concrete and dark-framed windows. Extensive efforts were made to preserve and protect the remains of the Grosse Tour during the construction work. Internally, the principal room was the Salle du Conseil (council chamber). Repairs to the building were carried out after cladding on the main frontage came loose in November 2022. An exhibition to celebrate the life of Rimbault and his campaign to commission a new town hall was on display in the foyer of the building in May 2023.

References

{{reflist Bourges Government buildings completed in 1992 City and town halls in France 1992 establishments in France