Prefecture of the Bouches-du-Rhône

The Prefecture of the Bouches-du-Rhône is a massive, rectangular stone building that stretches ninety meters in length, identifiable by its imposing Second Empire architecture and the four statues by Eugène-Louis Lequesne gracing its north facade. Built between eighteen sixty-two and eighteen sixty-six on the path of older seventeenth-century city ramparts, the structure was commissioned by Senator Charlemagne-Émile de Maupas. He insisted on a grand headquarters to replace a previous, cramped office, even as the unstable ground caused significant technical challenges during construction.