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Origin and history

La Folie Saint-James was built in 1777 in Neuilly-sur-Seine for Claude Baudard de Vaudésir, Baron of Sainte-James and Comptroller General of the Navy under Louis XV. This rich financier entrusted architect François-Joseph Bélanger with the creation of a "insanity" — a luxurious home surrounded by a factory park — to compete with that of the Count of Artois (future Charles X) in the nearby Bois de Boulogne. The estate, with an initial area of 12 hectares, included neoclassical architectural elements, caves, waterfalls, and an impressive 43-metre-long "Grand Rocher", inspired by Roman thermal baths.

The park, designed on the model of the picturesque Anglo-Chinese gardens, was crossed by an artificial river fed by the Seine via a "fire pump". His factories included bridges, kiosks, pavilions, and a pet store with a theatre. The exorbitant cost of the project (up to £14 million depending on the sources) led to the Baron's bankruptcy in 1787. During the Revolution, the property was degraded by the Black Band before being auctioned for £262,000 to the Duke of Choiseul-Praslin, and then to the Bobierre family.

In the 19th century, the estate was fragmented and partially loti. In 1844, Dr. Casimir Pinel set up a health centre, where personalities such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec lived in 1899. The following owners, the Lebels, restored the property in the 1920s by adding Art Deco elements, such as a temple of Love and a geometric garden. Ranked a historic monument in 1922, the Folie became state property in 1952, housing a public high school from 1959. Since 2009, it has been a member of the Hauts-de-Seine departmental council, which started restorations from 2015 to preserve the remaining factories and reopen the park to the public.

The architecture of the Folie combines brick and stone, with neoclassical facades decorated with medallions, ionic columns, and interior stuccos signed by Nicolas Lhuillier. The "Grand Rocher", the centrepiece of the park, housed sumptuous baths and automatons, while the Pavilion of Music (1784), decorated with antique stuccos, exhibited a collection of minerals. Despite the disappearance of most of the original factories, the site retains remains such as the stone bridge, the ancient column, and elements of the hydraulic system. The descriptions of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun and Thomas Blaikie bear witness to his long past, where parties and shows attracted the Parisian aristocracy.

Today, the park is reduced to 1.8 hectares and remains a rare testimony to the picturesque 18th-century gardens in Île-de-France. The restorations in progress aim to restore the fountains, waterfalls, and factories, while preserving the Art Deco additions of the 1920s. The high school occupying part of the place, Folie Saint-James embodies both an exceptional historical heritage and an accessible public space, classified among the departmental parks of Hauts-de-Seine.

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