Keith Barber

Quelqu’un est en grande difficulté au cours de cette mésaventure!

Or, in English: Someone is in deep trouble over this mishap!

Reports from French media tell us that a grand 18th-century château in Yvrac village of Bordeaux has been demolished by mistake. The Château de Bellevue is in complete ruin after the demolition company misunderstood renovation plans for the 140,000-square-foot manor. A smaller building on site was to be removed, and the current manor was to be cleaned and restored to its former baroque glory.

The village is upset that its local treasure is gone. The manor once had a grand hall that could host up to 200 people, and had a sweeping stone staircase.

The estate is owned by Russian businessman Dmitry Stroskin, who was away on business at the time. Stroskin is now determined to rebuild an exact replica of the manor on the site.

Château photographs I’ve seen resemble Milwaukee’s Main Public Library on Wisconsin Avenue. A grand building indeed.

It is obvious that the demolition contractor was not from Wisconsin.

Keith Barber is a data reporter at The Daily Reporter. He can be reached at 414-225-1821.