Exterior view

Victor Louis developed his characteristic picturesque style and his particular feeling for theatrical effects during his four-year stay in Rome. His H�tel de l’Intendance in Besan�on followed the usual pattern of a “cour d’honneur” screened from the street and semi-circular on one side. Continuous Ionic pilasters, which become engaged two-thirds columns in front of the elongated, pedimented centrepiece of the court fa�ade, evenly divide the “corps-de-logis,” which has a rectangular ground plan. The wall surfaces are mainly taken up by large, rectangular windows. On the garden side, the domed centre salon forms a convex projection. The delicate surface treatment of the fa�ades with fluted pilasters, a continuous, uninterrupted entablature and festoon reliefs over the ground floor apertures is characteristic of Louis’s decorative touch, but also strikes a traditional note.

The photo shows the court fa�ade.