Maison Orré: a blue lavender Creole house in Saint-Pierre

Maison Orré is a Creole house located in Saint-Pierre, on the island of Réunion in the southwest of the Indian Ocean. Situated at 50 Rue Désiré-Barquisseau in the town center, it currently serves as the official residence of the administrator of the TAAF.

The house was built by Hippolyte le Bidan between 1825 and 1856 on a portion of land from his plot. It was later purchased by Jean-Baptiste Paul Hibon in the second half of the 19th century. In 1998, the building was listed as a historical monument, and in 2005, a project began to rehabilitate the Creole house, which had fallen into abandonment.

In 1997, the TAAF headquarters moved from Paris to Saint-Pierre, and since 2000, the Kerveguen warehouse has housed the administration services. This created a need for a permanent residence for the administrator. An emphyteotic lease was signed between the commune and the TAAF, and renovation work was carried out in 2006-2007 to restore the building to its initial and traditional appearance.

During the rehabilitation, the wooden structure was renovated and treated against termites, and the wooden roof was replaced with a zinc roof. A blue lavender hue was given to the wooden panels, and any outbuildings deemed non-conforming to the spirit of the residence were destroyed.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons