Louis-Charles-François Ledru

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Louis-Charles-François Ledru (1778–1861) was a French architect born in Paris. He studied at the École Polytechnique, where his teachers included Gaspard Monge, and then studied architecture with Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand. He joined the Académie royale d'architecture around 1794. In 1810 he moved to the Auvergne region, started an asphalt-extraction business, and in 1811 designed the spa at Le Mont-Dore. By 1820 he designed the Hôtel de Ville complex in Clermont-Ferrand, including the town hall, courthouse, and prison, as well as the slaughterhouse and market; he became chief architect there in 1823. He also designed the courthouse in Thiers and a government building in Ambert. He was awarded the Légion d'honneur in 1841. Together with Mayor Antoine Blatin, Ledru founded a free school in Clermont-Ferrand teaching mathematics, architecture, and drawing. He died on 16 September 1861 in Clermont-Ferrand. His son was Agis-Léon Ledru, and his grandson was Louis-Antoine-Marie Ledru Gaultier de Biauzat.