Ouest-France Newspaper, Rennes

Ouest-France is the daily newspaper most locals read at breakfast-and the largest-circulation daily in France. Founded in 1944 in Rennes, it built its reputation by covering everyday life across western France with clear, regional reporting. Today it remains the country’s biggest daily by readership.

Its headquarters, originally built for the former Ouest‑Éclair press and later adopted by Ouest‑France, was constructed beginning in 1909 under architect Eugène Guillaume. Its design combines travertine, limestone, and pinkish granite with bold Art Nouveau touches. A standout feature is the exquisite wrought‑iron canopy over the entrance, inscribed with “Ouest‑France” in stylized lettering.

The façade is richly articulated: vertical piers rise to a mansard roof topped by a domed pavilion and clock, while carved stone ornamentation adds rhythm and prestige. Beneath this classical yet expressive elevation lies an industrial brick wing-originally the printing workshop-visually presenting Rennes’s dual heritage of craftsmanship and publication.

Though it now houses a Mercure hotel and some business offices rather than newspaper operations, the building remains a marker in Rennes’s cityscape.