Passage Pommeraye, Shopping arcade in central Nantes, France.
Passage Pommeraye is a covered shopping arcade in central Nantes built on a slope of about ten metres, so it has three levels joined by a monumental central staircase rather than a spiral one. Pale stone galleries with round columns and black wrought-iron railings face a central void crossed by bridges, and white statues stand on pedestals along the balustrades. A glass roof covers the top, where a large clock sits above the central arch.
Construction took place from 1840 to 1843 under architect Jean-Baptiste Buron during a period of economic growth in Nantes. The passage represented the city's modernization of commerce and rising prosperity through its thriving maritime trade.
The passage takes its name from Louis Pommeraye, the notary and property developer (1806-1850) who launched the project and was ruined by it. Since 2015 the name is a registered trademark with the INPI. The arcade appears in several films by Nantes-born director Jacques Demy, including Lola and Les Parapluies de Cherbourg.
The passage links rue de la Fosse, rue Santeuil and rue du Puits-d'Argent in central Nantes, with a 9.40 m drop between the lower and upper streets. It is a private space, closed at night by gates. Three levels are joined by the central staircase; the Régnier mezzanine also opens onto rue du Puits-d'Argent and the passage Cœur-de-Nantes.
The structure cleverly uses natural light through iron and glass windows set into the walls, keeping the galleries bright while preserving the original 19th-century look. This lighting approach was unusually advanced for shopping buildings of that time.
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