The Post Office, inaugurated by French Minister Georges Mandel in 1935, was built by architect Léon Azéma, a winner of the Grand Prix de Rome, who had been appointed Post Office architect seven years earlier. The previous post office stood in the former Cercle du Commerce et des Étrangers (Trade and Foreign Nationals Club) in the Passage de l'Opéra.
However, the growing popularity of spa establishments, allied with an increasing influx of foreign visitors and the modernisation of communications systems, meant this office had become obsolete.
The choice of this location, close to the train station, ideally placed between the spa district and the Town Hall, and its total footprint (2,150 m²) demonstrate the important status of the post office in a spa town such as Vichy. The building is designed in the Art Deco style that was very much in vogue in the 1930s. Its architecture combines functionality and attractive design, with an imposing yet understated facade, adorned with geometric patterns, made with vibrated concrete using yellow gravel from the Saône River, mixed with sand and grey gravel from the Allier to achieve a light tone.
In addition to the usual services, the Post Office offered a letter-writing salon, as well as a summer telephone cabin room and a winter public room, with attendance and usage varying according to the season. Today, the Vichy Post Office symbolises the golden age of the spa industry, testifying to the town's ability to adapt to the demands of a modern, cosmopolitan clientele.
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Free access.
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