Draft:Hôtel de Ville, Reims

The content of this article is translated from the existing French Wikipedia article at fr:Hôtel de ville de Reims; see its history for attribution.

Reims City Hall is the building that has housed the municipal institutions since 1499.

History

During various construction works, remnants of a Roman house (''domus'') were discovered, including pilasters and a road leading towards the Banque de France at a depth of about three meters.

In 1499, the City Council purchased a building on Place du Marché-aux-Chevaux, as they previously met at different locations. This building proved to be too small, and the idea of constructing a new one was limited by a lack of funds. The repayment of a debt of 22,000 livres by the Duke of Guise allowed the project to move forward.

The city's lieutenant, Nicolas Lespagnol, laid the first stone of the building on June 18, 1627. It was constructed by Jean Bonhomme, the city architect. The first wing on Rue des Consuls, now known as Rue du Général-Sarrail, was quickly completed, and the Council began meeting there in 1628. The building was constructed with stone from Lagery, and the belfry already housed a bell cast by Pierre Roussel. An initial statue of the king, possibly made of wood, was created but destroyed during the Revolution.

The façade was inaugurated in 1636 by Claude Lespagnol, brother of Nicolas and also the city's lieutenant. It was completed in 1818 with a new statue commissioned from Aimé Milhomme and in 1823 with the construction of the corner tower.

En 1618, devant le gibet et le siège royal.
En 1775, plan Coutans.
En 1844.
Plan de 1883 d'Eugène leblan.
Intérieur en 1906, Raymond Poincaré et Adrien Pozzi.
Plan :
En jaune le musée.
En rouge la bibliothèque.

From 1820 to 1823, the buildings located in what is now the courtyard were purchased, and the structures were expanded through the work of architects Troyon and Serrurier. In 1863, the construction of the city hall resumed with the addition of the final two wings under the direction of Narcisse Brunette and his brother Nicolas, with the entire complex being inaugurated in 1880.

It burned down on March 3, 1917, during World War I and was subsequently rebuilt. The initial reconstruction work began in 1924, overseen by Bernard Humbold, the chief architect of historical monuments, along with architects Roger-Henri Expert and Paul Bouchette. The sculptures were entrusted to Reims sculptor Paul Berton. Gaston Doumergue, then President of the Republic, inaugurated the new building on June 10, 1928, coinciding with the visit to the International Exhibition of the Best Brands in Reims, thus marking the revival of Reims..

En 1920, carte postale.
Rue de la Grosse-Écritoire, 1918.
1920 dans Le Cri de Reims.
Reconstruction en 1925.
Jean Taittinger et le général de Gaulle sur le perron, en 1962.

Before the fire, the building housed a museum since the Year III, the archives, the savings bank, a library since 1764 following the confiscation of books from the Jesuit College of Reims, the court or police, and the Chamber of Commerce, depending on the era. Currently, it is dedicated to municipal services, which are spread throughout the city in annexes and other decentralized services (road maintenance, green spaces, municipal police, etc.).

Architecture

Description

It is an almost square building with four similar wings enclosing a courtyard that houses a statue by René de Saint-Marceaux, symbolizing the vine and the foam of Champagne. Each corner is marked by a square tower. The roof is made of slate with mansard sections. The south-facing façade is topped with an octagonal belfry with a clock that chimes every quarter-hour. It has twenty tall windows on two levels, framed by columns. The entrance door is surrounded by four niches that never held the intended statues and is surmounted by an equestrian statue of Louis XIII trampling two prisoners. This statue, originally in bronze, is now in stone as the previous one was destroyed during the French Revolution. The equestrian statue is the work of Nicolas Jacques, and below it is a plaque inscribed:

LUDIVICO. JUSTO/PIO.VICTORI.CLEMENTI.

QUI.GALORUM.AMOR.

HOSTIUM.TERROR.

ORBIS.DELICIAE.

AETERNUM.TROPHAEUM.S.P.Q.R.P.P.

M.DC.XXIV.

The towers continue the aesthetic of the façade they extend, being slightly advanced and with an additional floor.

Protection

The city hall itself is classified as a historical monument on the list of historical monuments of 1862. Subsequently, the façades and roofs of the main façade and the corner pavilions, their extensions, and the central belfry were classified by an order dated March 9, 1922. Finally, the ground of the square was classified by an order dated June 4, 1952.

Bas Reliefs

The bas-reliefs between the windows on the façade were created between 1853 and 1856.

Salon of Honor

The grand salon at the top of the grand staircase has been particularly well-crafted, with its balcony overlooking the square and its carefully chosen decor. It features an organ on the east side and a series of paintings on its interior wall. Numerous sculptures are placed between the paintings, at the west end of the room, and above the windows.

The door to the Salon of Honor was designed by Carlo Sarrabezolles and crafted by the artistic blacksmith Marcel Decrion.

Orgues.
Détail de la porte.
Peinture.
Sculpture.
Statue.

Bonhomme, a Family of Reims Architects

Records in the city documents show contracts for the construction of the city hall, as well as work on the city’s ramparts and gates. Another Jean Bonhomme, an architect, worked in 1707 on the construction of the cloister of Saint-Remi Abbey. Additionally, in 1747, a Nicolas Bonhomme worked on the restoration of the cathedral.

Porte du salon d'honneur.
Escalier d'honneur.
Devise et reconstruction après sa destruction lors de la Première Guerre mondiale.
Cour intérieure, aile sud.
Cour intérieure, aile nord.

Paintings

A collection of portraits of the mayors of Reims is on display in the building.

Grand Organs

In the Salon of Honor (or Ceremony Room) are the Grand Organs. This unique monument, the Orgue de la République, is the only organ built specifically for a city hall in France (the city hall of Villeurbanne also has an organ, but it was originally a salon organ and not intended for the city hall). This Art Deco instrument was crafted by the Reims organ builder Fortin, one of the successors of the Belgo-French firm Merklin. Constructed in 1928, this 9.5-meter-high organ comprises 19 stops, spread across 2 keyboards and a pedalboard. By 1947, it was already showing signs of wear due to its unreliable electro-pneumatic transmission. In 1985, the city hall attempted to restore the instrument, but without success. It is currently in a state of disrepair.

Here is its composition:

Grand-Orgue	Récit Expressif	Pédale
Bourdon 16'	Cor de Nuit 8'	Soubasse 16'
Montre 8'	Flûte Harmonique 8'	Octave 8'
Bourdon 8'	Gambe 8'	Basson 16'
Violoncelle 8'	Voix Céleste 8'
Prestant 4'	Flûte Octaviante 4'
Nasard 2 2/3	Fourniture III
	Basson 16'
	Trompette 8'
	Basson-Hautbois 8'
	Clairon 4'