Immeuble - 15 rue Gambetta, bâtiment commercial à Saint-Étienne (Loire)
Les Nouvelles Galeries at 15 rue Gambetta is a late-19th-century department store built by Léon Lamaizière in 1894–1895. Its corner is crowned by a dark rounded dome with a finial above an oval window, and the light stone facade has rows of windows, some framed by round arches with carved decoration. The ground floor is glazed with large shop windows; red letters spelling "H&M" stand above the entrance, and a tall iron gate runs along the left side.
Léon Lamaizière built the Nouvelles Galeries store on rue Gambetta between 1894 and 1895, with a cast-iron frame and a metal roof structure ending in a corner dome. A first extension in 1898 raised the sales area to 3,000 m², and interior work in 1912 added a lift. In 1960 the central void was filled, the facade clad in metal and the dome removed; Buildinvest bought the building in 2005, and the 2007 restoration brought back the neo-classical exterior decoration and the dome. It has been a listed monument historique since June 2007.
The store opened under the Nouvelles Galeries chain, whose name is still read in red letters above the entrance and on the "galeries" sign along the side. The 1912 works added a lift to give the shop a modern character, and the 2007 rehabilitation brought back the neo-classical exterior decoration and the corner dome.
The building occupies the corner of rue Gambetta in central Saint-Étienne, a short walk from the city's main shopping streets. The ground floor is still occupied by shops, so the facade and dome are best seen from the public pavement outside. Look up at the corner dome above the oval window and at the carved arches of the upper floors.
The 1960 renovation removed the original central light well, covered the facade in metal cladding and took down the corner dome. The 2007 rehabilitation by Buildinvest brought back the neo-classical exterior decoration and rebuilt the dome, listed as a monument historique in June 2007.
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