Hôtel de ville de Rouen, Municipal administration building in Place du Général-de-Gaulle, Rouen, France
The Hôtel de ville de Rouen is a municipal administration building located at Place du Général-de-Gaulle with two side wings framing a central section that contains a ceremonial vestibule on the ground floor. The structure houses multiple functional areas including marriage halls and council chambers within its layout.
The council met in the Halle aux Marchands in the 12th century, then from 1220 in a house on Rue du Gros-Horloge granted by Philip II, where a belfry stood until Charles VI had it razed after the Harelle revolt of 1382. A third hôtel de ville by Jacques Gabriel rose there in 1607 and was sold in 1796. The council moved into the former Saint-Ouen Abbey dormitories in May 1800, converted by Charles-Félix Maillet du Boullay by 1825. A fire on 30 December 1926 destroyed the municipal archives of 1800–1926; the building was restored to Edmond Lair's design.
The building's name appears in the pediment as "HOTEL DE VILLE DE ROUEN", and a round clock sits above the four columns of the central portico. Inside, the first floor held a public library and the second floor a museum before both moved to new premises. An equestrian statue of Napoleon by Gabriel-Vital Dubray was unveiled in front of the building on 15 August 1865.
The building stands on Place du Général de Gaulle, immediately north of Saint-Ouen Abbey, with its 19-bay front facing the square. The garden façade, unchanged in the 1825 conversion, is on the opposite side. The equestrian statue of Napoleon by Gabriel-Vital Dubray, unveiled in front of the building on 15 August 1865, marks the square in front of the main entrance.
The garden facade and roofs received historical monument protection in 1948, preserving their original architectural design. This designation highlights the architectural value of these specific elements that distinguish the rear of the building from similar administrative structures.
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