The Chamber of Commerce
Proclamation
Once upon a time... the 26th RIQUET
At the beginning of the 19th century, in 1832, as the ramparts of the city of Béziers gradually faded away and the old moats disappeared, a large residence was built. On the very site where the fortifications once stood, a magnificent mansion was created. Its first owners, the d'Andoque de Sériège family, soon joined by the Du Lac family, took care of it and, over the years, expanded it. In 1895, the mansion extended its reach even further, annexing a neighboring house on Impasse du 4 Septembre, as if to better assert its destiny.
Around him, the city is changing.
The moats have given way to the Allées Paul Riquet, and the grand promenade, designed by the Bühler brothers, now guides travelers from the theater to the new train station. What is now known as 26 RIQUET has become a silent witness to this prosperous era, observing the passage of notable and ambitious figures.
But time marches on.
Owners came and went, fortunes were made and lost. Among them, the Otto Products Company disappeared, and in 1922, at the helm of the Civil Court of Béziers, Antoine Palazy, a lawyer from the city, acquired it. Three years later, in 1925, the Béziers Chamber of Commerce and Industry took possession of the premises.
And so begins a new era.
Architects, painters, and sculptors were called upon. Avon, Injalbert, Magrou, Guiraud, Cambon, Martin, Moulines, and many others answered the call. Under their hands, the residence was adorned with sumptuous decorations. The garden disappears to make way for a majestic vaulted hall: the Grand Hall, soon to be named the Gaillard Hall. This work becomes a palace dedicated to commerce, ambition, and progress.
But the years continue to pass.
Wars, changes, and necessities transform places. Walls are erected, floors appear, and little by little, certain features fade into the shadows of time. Until one day in 2016, when the City of Béziers took back possession of this historic residence.
But the story of the 26th RIQUET was not over yet.
For the time of rebirth had come. On December 31, 2019, as the year drew to a close and a new one was about to begin, the City of Béziers sold the former consular hotel to a new developer: MAIA Promotion, creator of living spaces.
A transformation mission took place:
Bringing the building back to life, reviving its memory, and restoring one of the city's jewels. Thus began a major construction project, the likes of which had not been seen for generations. Craftsmen entered the building.
In the silence of forgotten rooms, they began their work.
The false ceilings fell, revealing the hidden decorations of yesteryear. Beneath the dust, the original cement tiles reappeared, faithful witnesses to another century. The herringbone parquet floors regained their luster. The mosaics in the grand hall shone once again in the light. And above all, a decisive step was taken. The floor that had once divided the Grand Hall was torn down. The Gaillard Hall regained its volume, its height, its majesty. For two years, more than twenty-two companies and their workers labored tirelessly.
Stone by stone, room by room.
Until the building was ready to welcome new life. Now, behind its historic façade, ten apartments occupy the four floors. Workplaces have been set up. Commerce has returned. And in the large rooms, where the voices of decision-makers and artists once echoed, new events have come to write the next chapter in its history.
The Gaillard Room. The Stock Exchange Room.
Both rediscovered their purpose: to welcome, bring people together, and bring life to the area. The 26 RIQUET was no longer just a witness to the past. It had become a place of life and encounters once again. At the end of this great work, in June 2022, the rebirth was complete. More than four million euros had been spent on saving this monument. But beyond the figures, it was a fragment of the history of Béziers that had been preserved.
And today, the 26th RIQUET remains vigilant, ready to embrace the present and write the history of tomorrow.
