Villa Cavrois

Inaugurated in 1932, the villa Cavrois with Croix (Northern) is an ordering of Paul Cavrois, industrial roubaisien of the textile, with the Parisian architect Robert Mallet-Stevens.

A modernistic design

The Cavrois villa testifies to art of living such as the contemporary modern architects of Le Corbusier conceived it. Luminosity, hygiene and comfort are the key words which animate their constructions. The Cavrois villa illustrates with simplicity and elegance this spirit. This large modern castle is organized as well as possible to manage the life of the nine family members and the work of the personnel of house. Its style breaks completely with that of the residences of the same time which are close for him. The program of this building ordered in 1929 is clear: " air, light, work, sports, hygiene, comfort and économie".

The work of Mallet-Stevens is not limited to arrange volumes of a building as well as possible to meet the needs for its customer, it also conceives the decoration of interior spaces and the gardens which surround it. The plan of the house is studied to facilitate displacements and to organize in a rational way the domestic life. Around the large hall which accommodates the visitors, the field of the parents in the wing develops is, while the western wing is reserved to the children and to the servants. It also shelters the parts where the family meets, such as the dining room and the dining room children, connected to the park by an external staircase.

The choice of materials and interior furniture echoes the hierarchisation of spaces: all is thought and adapted to the use of the places. Simplicity and functionality of furniture reign in all the parts. The luxury of this dwelling is not spread out in the skirtings or gildings, it is spread in the richness of materials employed, like the various marbles and wood turpentines. The Cavrois villa especially offers to its occupants a great number of particularly rare equipment for the time, like the hot water supply, cold and softened. Electricity occupies a particular place in this building: each part has of a loudspeaker of TSF and an electric clock. The apparatuses to clean the linen, the vacuum cleaner or the refrigerator are also electric. Cavrois also have at their disposal of the heating-dressing gowns! The telephone, present in all the parts, makes it possible to the inhabitants to communicate between them or with outside. Lighting also was the particular care object, in collaboration with engineer Solomon.

A difficult evolution

From 1940 the German army requisitions the villa. In 1947, at the request of Paul Cavrois, the architect Pierre Barbe carries out transformations in order to adapt the residence to the novel modes of life of the family which accommodates from now on several couples. After the death of Mrs Cavrois in 1986, furniture is dispersed and the house is sold at a real estate company which projects to parcel out the park. The villa is left with the abandonment and very quickly is plundered, squattée and saccagée.
In 1990, the whole of the villa and park are classified of office Historic building on decision of the Council of State.
This same year sees the birth of an association of safeguard which brings together the people sensitive to the destiny of the house and who wish to act for her safeguard. This association did not cease, since its creation, requesting the competent authorities on the fate of the villa and engaged of very many publicity campaigns.

The State (Ministry for the Culture) repurchased the building in 2001 and engaged, since 2004, a first work campaign for the restoration of the carcass work heavy castings (field and cover, terraces, windows…) and restitution of interior volumes of origine.
However, work concerning the interior (including the equipment, lighting, furniture, polychromy…) are not, for the moment, programmés.
Within the framework of the cultural Decentralization, the State proposed with the Local government agencies and territorial the transfer of property of part of the historic buildings of which he is owner, of which the Cavrois villa. To date, no community is officially candidate with the resumption of this building, only the Urban community of Lille was shown interested without however concretizing its intention.
Currently, no project of re-use of this major building of the architecture of the XXe century is considered…

Related articles

External bonds

  1. Robert Mallet-Stevens on ARCHIGUIDE

  2. site of the association of safeguard of the villa cavrois
  3. MALLET-STEVENS gallery photographs (pages 3-4-5)

----

Random links:Senones | Bernède | Don Juan Handbook | Bergstrand (crater) | December 3rd in sociology | Centre_de_détention_d'immigration_de_Perth