The Architecture of the Town Halls of the French Colonial Period in Algeria: The First Half of Nineteenth Century
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The Architecture of the Town Halls of the French Colonial Period in Algeria: The First Half of Nineteenth Century Sihem Khelifa-Rouaissia 1,2 & Heddya Boulkroune 1,2
Published online: 3 August 2016 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016
Abstract The various civilizations which followed one another on the Algerian territory marked it by their presence. The architectural and urban production of each period displays its concepts and its styles, each rich with specific characteristics. The most representative buildings date to the Ottoman period and especially to French colonization. During the latter, and with the multiplication of the administrative offices, numerous public buildings represent different styles: Neoclassical, eclectic, neo-Moorish and art deco, each lying next to one another. Nevertheless, each building was intended to indicate its function. Numerous studies of the buildings erected during the first half of the twentieth century and particularly on the attributes of the neo-Moorish style were examined unlike the architectural output resulting from the Second Empire and relating to public civil architecture, due to the lack of monographic work. Our knowledge in this field thus remains to be improved and constituted. This paper is devoted to the town hall of Annaba, through which we will illustrate the attributes and architectonic specificities as well as the codes inherent in French public civil architecture in Algeria. Keywords Town hall . Architectural heritage . Monograph . Colonial heritage . Algeria
Introduction Shortly after French colonization, Algeria experienced new modes of architectural output that strongly upset the urban landscape of the nation’s cities. Modes which comply to new hygienic as well as urban standards and rules, similar to those
* Sihem Khelifa-Rouaissia [email protected]
1
Department of Architecture, Badji Mokhtar University, BP 12, Annaba 2300, Algeria
2
46, Rue Taghaste, Annaba 2300, Algeria
Int J Histor Archaeol (2017) 21:420–432
421
established in France (the metropolis) but which have created an irreversible disruption of the space and social structure of Algerian cities. Many administrative buildings, such as town halls, schools, police departments, chambers of commerce, and train stations, were erected throughout the French occupation. The achievements during the second half of the nineteenth century corresponding to the Second Empire did not respect the local context in anyway. According to Stephanie Burth-Levetto (1994, pp. 137–152): Bsome owners and even some architects from the administration keep on applying in Algeria, without any modification, the same kind of construction as in northern Europe. The achievements during the second half of the nineteenth century corresponding to the second empire date? They do not take into account the difference in the climate and the customs which Europeans themselves are forced to adopt in the country.^ Indeed, during this period, some florets of French architecture have been erected, part
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