The former municipality of Sables-d’Olonne had great ambitions for its maritime history museum project but the Nacéo project was ultimately abandoned. In gestation since 2019, the project was officially adopted at the end of January 2022, with a forecast budget of 7.9 million euros (excluding tax). Designed for the inhabitants of the town, it was also to satisfy the requests of the Olona archaeological, historical and geographical studies company, formulated in 1924. Its journey was to tell as much about fishing as the great maritime adventures, in order to establish the sea as a central element of Sablaise cultural identity.
By 2023, some objections to the project were becoming known from those for whom it was partly intended: local residents. The architectural project of the Nantes agency Tétrarc validated, some residents had expressed concerns about the height of the hall which was to accompany the museum. Planned to be 10.5 m high, some feared that the future building would obstruct the view of the channel: the museum was to be located in the moat and inside St. Clair Castle, and connected to Arundel Tower. A compromise was finally found, for which the architects revised their plans so that the museum did not exceed 7.8 m.
In 2024, when the Nacéo site was to enter its operational phase, the diagnostics carried out on the Arundel tower, the Saint-Clair castle and their ramparts revealed significant structural disorders. The City suspended the design of the interpretation center to give priority to their preservation. Valued at 2.26 million euros excluding tax, this heritage operation was completed in July 2026; the restored tower reopened to the public on July 25.
Nicolas Chénéchaud, who succeeded Yannick Moreau as town hall in September 2025 before being elected in March 2026, therefore put an end to the Nacéo project in its initial form. He indicates that its construction cost, originally estimated at around 8 million euros, had since doubled. Some 750,000 euros were also spent on studies, including part for the restoration of the tower. However, the municipality does not rule out seeking, during the mandate, another formula to promote Sablais maritime history.
