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Origin and history

Blérancourt Castle, built from 1612 to 1619 by architect Salomon de Brosse for Bernard Potier, Duke of Gesvres, was a country residence surrounded by elegant ditches and pavilions. At his death in 1662, the estate passed to its successive heirs before being sold in 1782 and partially demolished during the French Revolution. Only the monumental gate and two classified pavilions survived.

During the First World War, the ruins housed the headquarters of the American Committee for Destroyed Areas (CARD), led by Anne Morgan, a rich American patron. In 1919, she bought the site and financed its reconstruction from 1924, creating a museum dedicated to Franco-American cooperation. Architects Jean Findlot, then Yves Lion and Alan Levitt, carried out renovation campaigns until 2017, adding symmetrical pavilions and a contemporary extension.

The museum, labeled Musée de France in 2002, presents five major themes: the American War of Independence (1776–183), 19th–20th century artistic exchanges, the First World War, Anne Morgan's photographic fonds, and graphic arts. His collections include works of art, archives, and a media library specialized in transatlantic history. The New World Gardens, created in 1986, pay tribute to American plant species and soldiers of the two world wars.

The castle and its remains have been protected as historical monuments since 1925, with successive rankings for the gate, pavilions, and enclosure walls. The estate today illustrates both the architectural heritage of Salomon de Brosse and the Franco-American humanitarian commitment, through a landscaped park and permanent exhibitions.

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