CHATEAU D'EAU

The water tower, commissioned by French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, dates back to 1914 and was listed as a historic monument in 1992 for a number of reasons:
- its architecture, designed by Luçonnais Bardin, is highly original for a simple reservoir (intended to supply water to the future Dragoon regiment based in the Hoche district).
- The use of reinforced concrete gives it a light, monumental feel, which was also the wish of the mayor at the time.
- The château gave the town a modern look. In fact, with the arrival of the water tower, the town joined the closed circle of towns with running water and electricity, thanks to the power station installed at its foot.
The building rises to a height of 25 m and is divided into 9 compartments with a capacity of 500 m³.
Architecturally, the building is enriched with cornices, arches and other decorative elements (cast-iron lions opening wide mouths, formerly on an orange lamp).

Inaugurated in 1914, it marked the advent of modernism in Luçon. Built in reinforced concrete, it is decorated with moulded ceramics in a late Art Nouveau style. The reservoir supplied drinking water not only to the military, but also to the entire population, and an electricity production plant was also built.
Its construction was linked to the arrival of the cavalry regiment on the site of the former seminary. Jean Bardin worked with the engineer Armand Guillemet, who held the Hennebique patent, on this reinforced concrete structure. It was built between 1912 and 1913 by René Guinaudeau and completed when the Dragoon regiment arrived in April 1914. With a capacity of 500 m³, it supplied drinking water to the cavalry barracks and the residents of the town centre. The water is pumped from a depth of 80 m thanks to the power station, which for a long time was supplied by coal from Faymoreau. Light bulbs in the mouths of the lions on the façade revealed the presence of electricity. The dome was to have been crowned with a lighthouse, a reminder of Luçon's port past, but this was never completed and was replaced by the skylight that can still be seen at the top. Another original feature was the building at the foot of the reservoir, with offices, a caretaker and a shop.