Brest launches an appeal to rehabilitate the former prison of Pontaniou

"The operation will aim to "reveal" the pre-existing city from a project which undertakes to rehabilitate, preserve and enhance Brest's remarkable heritage in the heart of the city", writes the metropolis in a press release.

Built between 1805 and 1810, the building is one of the oldest monuments in Brest, a city which was almost entirely destroyed during the Second World War. Resistance fighters were detained there by the Germans before being deported.

Before the opening of a new prison in March 1990, 180 prisoners were still staying there. Six or eight of them were crammed into cells with dripping walls, lit by artificial light all day and ventilated by a narrow skylight.

The urban community of Brest acquired the building in 1997. It is now located in the heart of a district in full revival, facing the cable car and the former Ateliers des Capucins, which have become a huge cultural and commercial space.

In 2018, a project to convert Pontaniou prison into high-end apartments sparked an outcry from historians highlighting the site's heritage interest. The project was eventually abandoned.

This time, the metropolis promises to rely on "the analysis and the opinion of two advisory colleges composed of professionals, experts and associations" with regard to "the strong heritage and memorial dimensions".

At the end of the procedure, the successful project leader will conclude a contract with Brest Métropole, "relating to the acquisition of the site or its rental for a long period", specified the metropolis, referring to the designation of a winner. "for the end of the year 2023".