LA PLACE EXELMANS

Built on the former Place de l'Abattoir, the square took the name of Remy-Joseph-Isidore Exelmans in 1874. Renamed Place Thiers between 1878 and 1901, it took its name after the statue of Émile Peynot was erected in homage to the native marshal of nearby Rue Bar-la-Ville. In line with the urban restructuring undertaken by Baron Haussmann in Paris, a regularly shaped square, flanked on one side by apartment buildings, was created in 1858 on the right bank of the Ornain. The pig slaughterhouse, which previously occupied this space, was then transferred to rue du Port and then chemin de Popey. The Caisse d'Épargne moved into a new building in 1907 on the east side of the square. It is the work of Charles Royer, also author of the façade of the prefecture, and is part of the a late 19th century historicist. Like the facade of the prefecture facing Piazza Reggio, the high slate roofs with monumental chimneys and dormer windows, pediments and mullioned windows characterize the neo-Renaissance style. On each side, two inscriptions recall the importance given by the institution to saving and work. The lack of sanitary facilities for private individuals, linked to a growing concern for hygiene, led to the construction of private and public bath-showers. Charles Royer thus built a private establishment on quai Sadi-Carnot (now the Chambre de Métiers) in 1888, while the Caisse d'Epargne bought two houses on Place Exelmans to erect a second hydrotherapy centre in 1914, the work of Edmond Royer. It met with great success, making its extension necessary in 1933. In 1945, it closes and is transformed into a youth centre and then into a medical-psychological centre. Originally located in the centre of the square, the statue made in 1898 by Émile Peynot, assisted by his pupil Léon Roussel, pays homage to Marshal Exelmans (1775-1852). The latter is represented standing, in ceremonial dress, with his hand on the hilt of his sword. The engraved inscriptions on the pedestal recounting his military service. The Bronze Fame that adorned the lower part of the pedestal of the base was melted down in 1941.