Immeuble - 15 rue Gambetta, bâtiment commercial à Saint-Étienne (Loire)
The Immeuble at rue Gambetta is a registered historical commercial building from around 1890 in Saint-Étienne. The facade shows broad openings and solid construction with stone and metal details, while the interior is structured around a central hall that once received natural light from a glass roof above.
The building was constructed in 1890 during Saint-Étienne's rapid growth as part of a wave of new commercial structures. Architects Lamaizière, father and son, shaped its design and many other city structures, while it later became part of a wider network of department stores called Nouvelles-Galeries.
The building takes its name from a major street in Saint-Étienne's center. The ground-floor shop fronts show how shopping once served as a meeting place and social gathering spot where people rested and spent time together beyond just purchasing goods.
The building stands centrally on rue Gambetta and is easy to reach on foot, often included in walking tours through Saint-Étienne. Visitors should take time to observe the details in stonework and metalwork that reflect architectural choices from past eras.
The building originally featured a glass roof that flooded the interior sales hall with daylight, making shopping a bright and inviting experience. This architectural feature showed how merchants in the 1890s designed shopping to be a pleasant and comfortable activity.
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