Bordeaux : Home

After the Place de la Bourse, Place de Gambetta, formerly called Place Dauphine, is the second most significant architectural ensemble in Bordeaux. This is where the main avenues converge. It is bordered by buildings dating from the second half of the 18th century, built according to conventional rules. Around 1745, the Intendant Tourny, as part of his efforts to clean up and embellish the city, ordered the creation of a place on land located west of the Dauphine and Dijeaux doors. In 1750, the Jurats contracted a loan to create and erect the facades of the uniform houses in the square, which included a ground floor with arcades, surmounted by a floor, an attic and a shame. In 1762, the architect obtained the approval of the Intendant Boutin for a new plan to decorate the facades, more refined than the previous one. This new plan consisted in removing the pre-corners and the balustrades initially planned, and in finishing the houses with a simple entablature and a shame. The place was completed between 1770 and 1780, although its style remains faithful to that of the first half of the 18th century. At each of the corners of this rectangular square, two large streets open. The arrangement of buildings has a large stone facade. The ground floor has a regular arcade with bossing pillars on both sides of the door. A mestol, with small windows, is arranged in the arcade. On the first floor, large French windows are surmounted by carved mascarons and equipped with wrought iron balconies. Some buildings have a second floor.