Hôtel De Ville

The Hôtel de Ville was originally a former private mansion dating from the 19th century, owned by the Auban-Moët family. The house, listed as a Historic Monument, is built in a magnificent park.

Located at the bottom of the Avenue de Champagne, this 19th century private mansion was built in 1858, according to the plans of the architect Victor Lenoir (author of the Montparnasse station in Paris), for the Auban-Moët couple, wine merchants of champagne. The residence, set in a magnificent park, is completed by outbuildings designed by the Reims architect Gosset. This property was transferred to the City in 1919.

In 1920, the municipal services moved into the hotel and its outbuildings, since following the war the municipality no longer had premises to house its offices. The Town Hall was inaugurated on February 8, 1920 by the President of the Republic Raymond Poincaré, when he presented the Croix de Guerre to the town of Epernay.

The entrance to the building overlooks four magnificent rooms, including the Wedding Room and the City Council Room, which deserve the attention of visitors. A third room is assigned to the meetings of the Commissions of the town hall and the last is used as a waiting room for weddings. The floors are reserved for the Mayor's offices and municipal services.

In front of the facade, on the Avenue de Champagne side, a terrace has been skilfully used as a buttress for the Monument to the Dead of the 1914-1918 war, the work of architect Henri Giraud and sculptor Jules Dechin, winner of the Grand Prix de Rome.

The Town Hall of Epernay is at the center of a splendid park designed by the Denis brothers, mixing French and English styles. The architect Gosset redevelops it into an English garden. The park combines the two main styles of landscaping. The French style appears in the regular perspective from the front steps of the hotel, reinforced by the statuary but also by the replica of the Temple of Love in the Trianon park at Versailles. The English style is expressed through winding paths, groves and ponds and waterfalls.

This park classified as a "remarkable garden" is inspired by prestigious creations such as the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.