Hospice Debrousse, Historical hospital in 5th arrondissement, Lyon, France.
Hospice Debrousse is a former hospital at 29 rue Sœur-Bouvier in Lyon's 5th arrondissement, built on a 3.5-hectare site. The long symmetrical complex by architect Georges Blachier has a raised central section with two square towers under dark pyramidal roofs, a rose window above the arched entrance, and wings with columned ground-level galleries and dormer rows. Five pavilions were built between 1904 and 1909.
Marie-Félicie Dessans, widow Debrousse, decided in 1904 to build an establishment for the elderly on a 3.5-hectare plot; the building by Georges Blachier was completed between 1907 and 1909 and inaugurated on 5 July 1911. From 1920 pediatric services arrived from the Hôpital de la Charité, replacing geriatric care, with works between 1921 and 1926 raising capacity to 305 beds. Hospital activity ended in 2007.
The name honours Marie-Félicie Dessans, widow Debrousse, who founded the institution for the elderly. From 1920 the buildings housed children's wards transferred from the Hôpital de la Charité, and the site later became a paediatric hospital. The former wards and courtyards are now residential, with 68 apartments created in the historic buildings, 15 of them social housing.
The former hospital is private property, converted into housing, so the buildings and grounds are not open to visitors; the façades, roofs, grand staircase and north-west boundary wall are listed since 2013. The complex stands at 29 rue Sœur-Bouvier in Lyon's 5th arrondissement, and the long symmetrical front with its two towers and rose window can be seen from the public street.
The building preserves original design elements such as polychrome tiled floors in corridors and grand staircases dating from around 1904. These crafted details are often overlooked but offer a direct sense of the construction quality from that era.
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