Hotel de Ville (Town Hall), Annecy

The City Hall (Hotel de Ville) in Annecy, located on the Esplanade de l'Hotel de Ville, is a significant municipal building with a rich history dating back to the 18th century. The original town hall, adjacent to the Notre-Dame-de-Liesse Church on Notre Dame Street, was a four-story structure initially built as a hospital and repurposed for municipal use in 1770. Its design featured a grand forestair, ironwork balconies, and a pediment crowned with an oculus. Notably, a wrought-iron trout symbol—part of Annecy’s municipal coat of arms—adorned the forestair and drew admiration from visitors such as John Ruskin.

By the 1840s, during Annecy's time under the Kingdom of Sardinia, the growing administrative needs prompted the construction of a more substantial town hall. Architect François Justin designed the new building in the Neoclassical style, using ashlar stone. Completed in 1851, the symmetrical façade, featuring a central tetrastyle Ionic portico with a pedimented clock, became an architectural highlight. The interior housed the elegant Salle de Conseil (council chamber), central to Annecy’s governance.

Following the annexation of Savoy by France in 1860 under the Treaty of Turin, the City Hall retained its administrative prominence. In 1995, the area in front of the building, once a car park, was transformed into a landscaped square with a striking water feature designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte.

A significant chapter in the building’s history unfolded on 14 November 2019, when a fire caused by an electrical fault severely damaged its upper floors and roof. A €30 million restoration project, designed by Pierre-Louis Faloci, is set to begin in March 2025, with completion expected in early 2027. This restoration promises to preserve and modernize the City Hall, ensuring its continued role as a cornerstone of Annecy's civic life.