Lamaizière Buildings

Hard to picture now, but until the early 20th century this spot was a maze of narrow alleyways dominated by the old Hôtel-Dieu. Avenue de la Libération didn’t even exist. Between 1900 and 1905, the decision was made to clear everything and carve out this wide, straight thoroughfare, Saint-Étienne’s answer to a Parisian Haussmann boulevard. It was an ambitious urban project, driven by the hygienist ideals of the time, meant to bring fresh air, light, and order to the city’s dense centre. The buildings you see here are among the finest along the avenue. They were designed by father-and-son architects Léon and Marcel Lamaizière, who were highly active in Saint-Étienne at the turn of the century. Take a moment to admire the carefully dressed pale stone, the finely worked wrought-iron and stone balconies, and the rounded bow windows. This is a far cry from the industrial or working-class architecture so often associated with the city. Here, it was the rising bourgeoisie who settled in, and it shows. From the very first glance, the avenue sets the tone: a city modernising with ambition, blending urban order with architectural elegance. And as we continue up the Libération, we’ll come across two more landmark buildings from this new, early 20th-century Saint-Étienne, starting with number 17, then the graceful corner building at rue du Grand-Moulin.