Albert Ballu (1 June 1849 - 3 November 1939) was a French architect. He designed many buildings in

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

, including the

Cathédrale du Sacré-Cœur d'Oran Cathédrale du Sacré-Cœur d'Oran (''Sacred Heart Cathedral of Oran'') is a former Roman Catholic church located at Place de la Kahina, on Boulevard Hammou-boutlelis, in Oran, Algeria. History The church building was built between 1903 and 1913 ...

Education and early career

Albert Ballu was the son of an architect, Théodore Ballu (1817–1885), who designed several churches in Paris and who from 1860 was head of public works for the city of Paris. Albert entered the

École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in nor ...

in 1868. He was a student of Auguste Magne and his father. After graduating he assisted his father and participated in various competitions for public architecture. He was employed by the Church for the restoration of religious buildings, first in

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...

and then in

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

, where in the 1880s he conducted a survey of local architecture, notably mosques and palaces.

Work in Algeria

In 1889 he succeeded Edmond Duthoit as chief architect of the historical monuments department in Algeria, a position which he held for 30 years. Like his predecessor, Ballu was an advocate of regionalism and protection of the local heritage. He designed the Algerian pavilions and a reproduction of an Algerian town for the Paris Expositions

1889 Events January * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the Dakotas ...

and

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...

. He participated in and from 1889 directed the excavations of the ancient Roman cities of Djémila and

Timgad Timgad (, known as Marciana Traiana Thamugadi) was a Roman city in the Aurès Mountains of Algeria. It was founded by the Roman Emperor Trajan around 100 AD. The full name of the city was ''Colonia Marciana Ulpia Traiana Thamugadi''. Emperor ...

. Among his major architectural works in Algeria were the central railway station and cathedral in

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

, both of which were early works in reinforced concrete built by the firm of

Auguste Perret Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforced concrete. His major works include the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first Art Deco building in Paris; the C ...

and brothers. In the 1890s he also designed the French Renaissance Revival style Palace of Justice in Bucharest.

Selected publications

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References

External links

Drawings by Ballu
at the

Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) () is a museum in Paris, France, on the Rive Gauche, Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts railway station built from 1898 to 1900. The museum holds mai ...

1849 births 1939 deaths Architects from Paris École des Beaux-Arts alumni 19th-century French architects 20th-century French architects Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery {{France-architect-stub