About the premises

History

For nearly eight centuries, the Quartier Rochambeau (nested in the heart of Vendôme, between the two arms of the Loir river) was located in the vicinity of the Trinity Abbey. The gardens of the abbey were located in the western part.

After the French Revolution, the town purchased the conventual buildings of the abbey in order to establish the garrison. In 1802, the cavalry moved into these premises. In 1821, a group of buildings (stables, manèges, warehouses, etc.) were designed to house an entire cavalry regiment and avoid dispersion of the troops. In 1886, the area acquired the name of Rochambeau.

The North Stable was built in 1834 and could house the cavalry unit, that is to say 120 horses, as the cavalrymen slept on horseback.

The 20th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment, which was decimated in 1914, was the last one to be stationed in Vendôme.

 

Restoration work

The North Stable (Stable 1) is one of the first buildings restored by Vendôme (with the grand manège).

The project was launched at the end of 2012 and after a year and a half of procedures and consultations, the restoration work started in April 2014 and ended in June 2015.

The Chevalier & Guillemot Architectes agency in Tours coped with the challenging task of redeveloping this old building to house production spaces, administration offices and reception rooms on the first floor, and accommodation for the teams on the second floor. The agency also introduced a striking architectural concept in the middle of the town center by creating an extension to house the projection room of Ciclic Animation. It is covered with an aluminum and openwork cladding which goes along the Loir canal and reflects it. It is now one of the most photographed view of Vendôme.

Restoration partners

The restoration was funded by the Centre-Val de Loire Region, as part of the Sate-Region planning contracts (Contrats de plan État-Région, CPER), the City of Vendôme, the DRAC Centre-Val de Loire, the European Union and the Conseil général de Loir-et-Cher. 3 Vals Aménagement was the contracting authority and Chevalier & Guillemot Architectes and Martine Ramat (conservation architect) were the project managers.