Behind Bordeaux’s refined facades, unexpected stories are sometimes hidden. On Rue Bouffard,the Hôtel de Lalande is a fine example. This 18th-century aristocratic residence has had several lives before becoming the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design (MADD). The most surprising part? A municipalprison was built in its former gardens. A look back at the unique history of a place now designated a Historic Monument.
A mansion turned police station
It all began in 1775, when Pierre de Raymond de Lalande, a councilor at the Bordeaux Parliament, acquired a vast plot of land near the Rohan Palace. There, he had a prestigious residence built according to a style favored by the great families of the time. Its elegant façade and carefully designed interiors reflected the social status of its owner.
This opulence, however, is part of a more complex history. The mansion passed through several owners before being acquired by the City in 1880. This date marked a radical change as the police and vice squads moved in. The rooms were remodeled to meet administrative needs, and some original features were sacrificed. The former aristocratic residence thus became a municipal building, a far cry from its original purpose.
Both a museum and a prison
Following this move, a municipal prison was built on the grounds of the gardens. Completed in 1886, the building comprised several courtyards and wings. Some cells still bear traces of their former occupants: names, dates, drawings, or marks carved into the walls. Today, these remnants lend the former prison a particularly striking atmosphere.
The story took an even more unexpected turn in 1923, when the mansion became home to a museum of ancient art. The prison and the museum coexisted for decades until the police department moved out and the prison was decommissioned in the late 1960s.
A Museum Under Renovation
After becoming the Museum of Decorative Arts in 1955, contemporary design was added to its programming, giving rise to the MADD in its current form. Since 2018, both the mansion and the former prison have been designated as Historic Monuments. Undergoing renovation since 2023, the museum reopened part of its spaces in April 2026. The former prison now hosts exhibitions, while the reopening of the renovated mansion is scheduled for 2027.
A wonderful opportunity to discover this unique place, where the history of Bordeaux is told as much through the collections as through the walls that house them.
