Capital of the old royal province of the Dauphiné and seat of the parliament, Grenoble was once the dwelling place of many noble families.

François Marc’s house, 22 rue Barnave

François Marc’s house, 22 rue Barnave

This townhouse was built in 1490 by François Marc, judge of the common court and then parliament councillor. The date of construction is mentioned in a beautiful Latin inscription carved in Gothic letters above the entrance to the passageway from the inner courtyard. From its original form, the house has preserved its pointed arched entrance gate crowned with a carved shield depicting a winged lion, symbol of Saint Mark.

We can also still see a ribbed vaulted passageway, and a tall tower with spiral staircase in the courtyard. Here, the door lintel presents a canopy of honor in the form of draperies surrounding the family crest, but this element was hammered away during the French Revolution.

Modified during the 18^th century, façade bays feature elegant wrought iron railing, more sober in the courtyard than on the street-side façade.

This structure was classified in 1992.

Hôtel d’Ornacieux, 8 rue Chenoise

Hôtel d’Ornacieux, 8 rue Chenoise

L'Hôtel d'Ornacieux, built after 1630, has preserved its entranceway made of embossed bicolor limestone crowned with an open arched pediment featuring stone scrolls.

A remarkable recessed stairways, decorated with stone balustrades takes up an entire side ouf the courtyard.
Jacques Vaucanson, the famous engineer and creator of the first automatons, lived in this house with his family after the death of his father in 1717.
This structure was classified in 1983.

Hôtel de Sautereau-Amat, 10 rue Chenoise

Hôtel de Sautereau-Amat, 10 rue Chenoise

This house was built around 1500-1510 and is typical of buildings from the end of the Middle Ages. It was restored at the end of the 1990s and its original facades were renovated in the courtyard as well as on the street side, both of which feature molded transoms and mullions on the windows. The ribbed vaulted passage has preserved part of its sculpted culs-de-lampes, which depict some surprising figures.

In the courtyard, the ground is covered with large paving stones and the polygonal spiral stairway links to the galleries of a second building dating back to the first half of the 17^th century.

This structure was classified in 1987.

Hôtel Coupier de Maille, 16 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Hôtel Coupier de Maille, 16 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Built at the beginning of the 17th century, this dwelling was remodeled at the end of the 17th century and throughout the 18th century.

Its ground floor, with its old limestone mezzanines, has preserved its imposing double doorway, carved of walnut wood and decorated with grotesque half-lion half-human figures.
Sculpted leaf ornaments crown the ensemble.

This is one of the most beautiful doors in the city.

The façade also features beautiful ironwork from the 18^th century.

 

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Hôtel de Croÿ-Chanel et Pierre Bucher

Hôtel de Croÿ-Chanel et Pierre Bucher

Magnificently restored by the City of Grenoble and the co-proprietors from 2004-2009, this former town house is a superb example of the type of house that Grenoble parliament members lived in and is rare in that it is a private Renaissance-period house.

The home is made of two building complexes from two different time periods.
At the back, in the courtyard, is the Renaissance house, built around 1570 by Pierre Bucher, general attorney of the parliament and president of the university.

Its façade is punctuated by large dual bays decorated with a sculpted, arched lintel. Inside, there is a sculpted leafy medallion and above this ensemble are is a larger medallion for each set of windows.

An imposing courisère is upheld by nine volute consoles on the two lateral sides of the courtyard.  

The prestigious 18^th century façade, built around 1760 by François Gallien de Chabons faces the street. De Chabons was a parliamentary councillor who married one of Pierre Bucher's descendants.

The ground floor is entirely built of load-bearing stones. On both sides of the large central doorway which juts out, there is a boutique surmounted by a mezzanine.

The property was owned by a single family until the time of the French Revolution. The domaine took the name Croÿ-Chanel when this family acquired the stree-side edifice in 1791.

The home was registered in 1988.

Hôtel de Rabot, 17 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Hôtel de Rabot, 17 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The townhouse of the Rabot lords, councillors, and parliament presidents was built in the 16th and 17th centuries.

It has preserved its remarkable overhanging tower, with its elegant Renaissance décor of pilasters and arches made of molasse stone. There is also a niche topped with a flamboyant Gothic canopy.

The part of the house from the 17^th century hides a beautiful stairway with stone balustrades.

The tower has been registered since 1927.

 

Doctor Gagnon’s house, 20 Grande Rue

Doctor Gagnon’s house, 20 Grande Rue

Doctor Gagnon, Stendhal's grandfather, already owned the neighboring house on the corner of Grenette square when he acquired this new house in 1788.
Before, it belonged to councillor de Marnais' family.

Behind this façade, which was modified at the end of the 18^th century, stands a rather complex ensemble of buildings, made of two distinct courtyards.
The first dates from the 16^th century and is in Gothic style, with a spiral stairway. The second courtyard, which is much larger, was built in the 17^th century.

Doctor Gagnon lived on the third floor. The City of Grenoble is currently restoring his apartment in order to establish the new Stendhal Museum there. The museum is planned to open at the end of 2011.

Saint Claire covered market

Saint Claire covered market

Built in 1874 by the departmental architect Riondel, the Saint Clair covered market was designed in the same style as the Baltard market building.

The brick walls do not support the roof, which rests essentially on cast iron pillars.

Simple yet elegant, the facade presents interesting decorative patterns such as grotesque masks and acroterions in the shape of lion's heads.

A beautiful, stylized dolphin decorates the fountain at the entrance to the market place.

 

Isere Department headquarters, Verdun square

Isere Department headquarters, Verdun square

As the crowning jewel of Verdun square, the préfecture takes up the entire south side of the square, facing towards the old city.

Built between 1866 and 1867 by the architect Charles Questel, it has a majestic limestone façade, carved of stone from the south of the Drome department. The style imitates that of a 17^th century townhouse.

Between the windows of the second floor sit busts of many of Grenoble's and the Dauphiné's historic figures such as Bayard, Lesdiguières, Condillac, Barnave, Mounier, and Vaucanson.

 

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