The architectural plans in the atlas are arranged in the conventional order of architectural drawings from general to specific, beginning with foundation and floor plans, elevations, and then specific details and notes from the architect.
Accession No. RARE.2026.0030: Purchased, 2025 August
[identification of item], Atlas of Architectural Plans by Vincent Barral and Auguste Martin for the Prison Chave (Marseille, France), SPEC.RARE.0384, Rare Books and Manuscript Library, Ohio State University
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Processed by: Sierra Sales, 2026 March; Finding aid written by: Sierra Sales, 2026 March
The Prison Chave was located in Marseille, France at the corner of Boulevard Chave and Rue Georges in the 5th Arrondissement. Construction on the prison began in January 1852 and it began housing prisoners in July 1854. In 1865, the prison began operating under the department of Bouches-du-Rhone, a administrative division in Southern France. The prison was named after French landowner and real estate developer, Andre Chave. It was designed by Vincent Barral and built under the direction of Auguste Martin (1818-1877), who was the chief architect of the Department of the Interior from 1853-1864. The prison contained 144 individual cells and was surrounded by a wall that modeled Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon architectural design for penitentiary buildings. The panopticon design allowed the prison to have a central surveillance post stationed with one guard that overlooked the cells radiating in different directions. The Prison Chave ceased operations in 1955 and was demolished in 1958.
The Atlas of Architectural Plans by Vincent Barral and Auguste Martin for the Prison Chave (Marseille, France) is dated 1852-1854. There are seven floor plans of the interior and two elevations of the exterior of the Prison Chave. These are separate drawings that were bound into the atlas. Nine title plates noting the page number and section of the prison are included. Each drawing contains a legend, with numbers corresponding to marked places on the drawings, a scale, title, notes, and Auguste Martin’s signature. The title pages and the notes are written in French, and the original titles are maintained in the inventory.
Forms part of the Herman J. Albrecht Library of Historical Architecture.