The Hennebique agency and the figures of modernity in Algiers

Towards the end of the 1920s, the Hennebique agency benefitted from the unprecedented expansion of the construction sector in Algeria. The exemption of land from tax, the end of the moratorium on rents, and a decrease in the value of securities allowed significant capital to be directed towards construction. According to René Lespès, this explains why “the construction of the largest and most expensive buildings was undertaken precisely between 1927 and 1930.” Moreover, the large number of bu..