The Hôtel du Poët is a listed

hôtel particulier () is the French term for a grand urban mansion, comparable to a Townhouse (Great Britain), British townhouse. Whereas an ordinary (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a ...

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 ...

Location

It is located on the Place Forbin at the top of the

Cours Mirabeau The Cours Mirabeau is an avenue and of the major arteries of Aix-en-Provence, France. Overview 440 meters long and 42 meters wide, the Cours Mirabeau is one of the most popular and lively places in the town. It is lined with many cafés, one ...

in Aix-en-Provence.Aix-en-Provence Tourism: Hôtels particuliers à Aix en Provence

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History

In 1730, Henri Gautier (1676-1757) purchased some land at the top of the Cours Mirabeau, where there was an old

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...

Ambroise Roux-Alphéran Ambroise Roux-Alphéran (; 1776–1858) was a French public official and historian. Biography Early life Ambroise(-Thomas) Roux-Alphéran was born on 29 December 1776 in Aix-en-Provence. Career He served as clerk of the court of Aix-en-Provenc ...

, ''Les rues d'Aix: ou, Recherches historiques sur l'ancienne capitale de la Provence'', Aubin, 1848, Volume 2, pp. 169-17

/ref>Jean Boyer, ''Architecture et urbanisme à Aix-en-Provence aux XVIIe-XVIIIe siècles: du cours à carrosses au cours Mirabeau'', Ville d'Aix-en-Provence, 2004, p. 87-8

/ref> He commissioned architect

Georges Vallon Georges Vallon (1688–1767) was a French architect. Many of his buildings are listed as "monuments historiques". Biography Early life Georges Vallon was born in 1688. His father, Laurent Vallon (1652–1724), was a renowned architect.Albert Ay ...

(1688-1767) to design a

: the Hôtel du Poët. Later, it was home to a chemist and a printing press. It is an example of

baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

. The facade has mascarons. Inside, the main staircase has columns, and Louis XVI handrails with the Poët escutcheons.

Heritage significance

It has been listed as a "

monument historique () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

" since 3 November 1987.

References

Hôtels particuliers in Aix-en-Provence Monuments historiques of Aix-en-Provence Houses completed in 1730 Baroque buildings in France {{France-struct-stub