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 ...

''), also known as the Centre Municipal, is a municipal building in

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.

, north-central

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, standing on the Place de l'Etape.

History

Early meetings of the local council were held in Saint-Samson tower at the Châtelet, which dated back to the 12th century and was located at the north end of the bridge across the River

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône. It rises in the so ...

. The council then sought a dedicated town hall and selected the Hôtel des Créneaux on Rue Sainte-Catherine: it had been built in the late 13th century; the council rented it from about 1400 and erected a tall

belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...

in the 1440s. In the early 18th century, the council decided that it needed a more substantial building and identified the Hôtel Groslot on the west side of Rue Théophile Chollot: it had been commissioned by the local bailiff, Jacques Groslot, designed by

Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau, also given as Du Cerceau, DuCerceau, or Ducerceau (1510–1584) was a well-known French designer of architecture, ornament, furniture, metalwork and other decorative designs during the 16th century, and the founder ...

in the

Renaissance style Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

and was completed in 1558. It was acquired by the council in 1738, and after accommodating various council officials, it became the town hall in 1790. A major refurbishment was carried out in the mid-19th century and the building re-opened again in May 1855. In the early 1970s, the council decided to commission modern premises. The site they selected, on the opposite side of Rue Théophile Chollot, was occupied by the Opera House which was duly demolished in July 1974. Originally, it had been proposed to create a tunnel between the Hôtel Groslot and the new building, but this concept was abandoned. The new building was designed by

Xavier Arsène-Henry Xavier Arsène-Henry (10 May 1919 – 19 June 2009) was a French modernist architect and urban planner. He designed many tall residential buildings on the outskirts of French cities. Early life Xavier Arsène-Henry was born on 10 May 1919 in Bo ...

in the

neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

, built in

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

stone and was officially opened on 15 December 1981. The layout involved three blocks laid out round a courtyard. The public entrance was at the right-hand corner of the courtyard but the civic rooms were in the south block, which featured a symmetrical main frontage of five bays facing onto Rue Théophile Chollot. The central section of three bays incorporated three recessed openings on the ground floor, three round headed windows with moulded surrounds and

keystones A keystone (or capstone) is the wedge-shaped stone at the apex of a masonry arch or typically round-shaped one at the apex of a vault. In both cases it is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allo ...

on the first floor, and three

casement window A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges at the side. They are used singly or in pairs within a common frame, in which case they are hinged on the outside. Casement windows are often held open using a c ...

s with window cills on the second floor. The outer bays were fenestrated with

oculi An oculus (; ) is a circular opening in the center of a dome or in a wall. Originating in classical architecture, it is a feature of Byzantine and Neoclassical architecture. A horizontal oculus in the center of a dome is also called opaion (; ...

on the ground floor, pedimented casement windows on the first floor and casement windows with window cills on the second floor. The outer bays were flanked by

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic classical order, orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric order, Doric and the Corinthian order, Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan order, Tuscan (a plainer Doric) ...

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

s supporting an

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

and a

modillion A modillion is an ornate bracket, more horizontal in shape and less imposing than a corbel. They are often seen underneath a Cornice (architecture), cornice which helps to support them. Modillions are more elaborate than dentils (literally transl ...

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

. Internally, the principal rooms include the new council chamber, as well as reception rooms suitable for trade delegations. A plaque to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the liberation of the city by the 137th Infantry Regiment, part of the 3rd United States Army, under Lieutenant General

George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (11 November 1885 – 21 December 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the Alli ...

, 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 ...

, was unveiled outside the building on 16 August 1984.

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Orléans Government buildings completed in 1981 City and town halls in France 1981 establishments in France