Hôtel Brou de Laurière
MonumentHidden Treasure
Hôtel Brou de Laurière, located in Périgueux (Dordogne), is a modern edifice built in the 19th-20th centuries. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Modern (19th-20th century)
- Location
- Périgueux, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.1879, 0.7213
- Mérimée Reference
- PA24000054
An elegant neo-classical town house built in Périgueux in 1911, the Hôtel Brou de Laurière is a rare symbiosis of refined bourgeois residence and medical practice, nestling between a courtyard of honour and wooded parkland.
History
In the heart of Périgueux, a city whose heritage oscillates between Romanesque and Renaissance, the Hôtel Brou de Laurière stands out as one of the most intact examples of Périgord bourgeois architecture from the early 20th century. Built from 1911 onwards for the doctor Marc Antoine de Brou de Laurière, this neo-classical mansion captivates visitors with the orderly rigour of its street façade, preceded by a courtyard that gives it an aristocratic distance from the hustle and bustle of the city. What distinguishes this monument from a simple stately home is the sophistication of its architectural programme, designed to reconcile two seemingly contradictory worlds: the private life of an upper middle-class provincial family and the practice of a medical profession requiring discretion and accessibility. The doctor's surgery, set back from the main facade on the ground floor, reflects a remarkably modern approach to urban planning and functionality for its time. The rear of the property reveals another facet of the complex: a park where carefully tended vegetation flourishes, embellished by a garage building - an eloquent sign of the modernity of the commissioner - and, to the east, a greenhouse whose elegant metal and glass structure contrasts with the stone of the main residence. This succession of spaces, from the entrance courtyard to the private garden, forms an architectural promenade that tells the story of the ambitions and taste of an era. Listed as a Historic Monument in 2006, the mansion has since enjoyed protection that guarantees the preservation of its original architecture and fittings. For the attentive visitor, every detail - the layout of the floors, the volumes of the reception rooms, the sober ornamentation of the façade - constitutes a precious fragment of the social and architectural history of Périgord during the Belle Époque and between the wars.
Architecture
The Hôtel Brou de Laurière is in the tradition of the French neo-classical town house, the dominant style of provincial bourgeois architecture in the first quarter of the 20th century. The composition of the façade on the street is based on the principles of symmetry and hierarchy of orders: a basement containing the utilitarian spaces in the basement, a noble ground floor given over to the reception rooms and the doctor's surgery, a first floor reserved for the bedrooms, and attic space for the linen room and servants' quarters. This strictly codified vertical layout reflects the social organisation of the bourgeois household of the period. The main facade, preceded by an enclosed courtyard that gives it solemnity and sets it apart from the street, is probably dressed in limestone ashlar - the dominant material in Périgord construction - punctuated by regular bays of openings with moulded frames. The doctor's surgery, cleverly set back from the main entrance, has a discreet access that preserves the privacy of the family home. To the rear, the parkland forms a green setting whose landscaping harmoniously complements the built volumes. The ensemble of outbuildings - the garage building, which bears witness to the early adoption of the automobile by the elite, and the oriental greenhouse in a light metal and glass structure - enriches the architectural interpretation of the estate. The greenhouse, in particular, introduces a touch of constructive modernity that contrasts subtly with the classicism of the main residence, revealing a patron who was open to the technical innovations of his time while remaining attached to the aesthetic codes of French tradition.
Related Figures
Marc Antoine de Brou de Laurière — médecin périgordin, commanditaire et premier propriétaire de l'hôtel particulier, figure emblématique de la bourgeoisie professionnelle du Périgord au début du XXe siècleLa famille de Brou de Laurière — lignée bourgeoise périgourdine dont l'hôtel particulier constitue le témoignage architectural le plus durableArchitecte inconnu — maître d'œuvre anonyme dont la maîtrise du style néo-classique et la sensibilité fonctionnelle ont produit l'un des exemples les plus réussis de l'architecture domestique bourgeoise de Périgueux
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hôtel Brou de Laurière located?
Hôtel Brou de Laurière is located in Périgueux, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Hôtel Brou de Laurière built?
Hôtel Brou de Laurière dates back to a period built in the modern era (19th-20th century).
Is Hôtel Brou de Laurière open to visitors?
Hôtel Brou de Laurière is currently closed to visitors.