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Origin and history

The Gassion hotel was built between 1867 and 1872 in Pau by architect Jean Marcelin Sylvestre Dumoulu for businessman Jean Lafourcade-Camarau, enriched in Brazil. This 8-storey palace, equipped with a hydraulic elevator and a hydro turbine, was designed to accommodate an affluent foreign clientele attracted by the Belarusian climate. His asymmetrical plan was inspired by Henry IV Castle, with an inner courtyard, stables, and a noble floor housing casino, ballroom, and playrooms.

The project cost two million gold francs and attracted personalities like King Alphonse XIII of Spain or Russian princess Kougouchef. After the death of Lafourcade in 1880 and a bankruptcy, the hotel was bought by the Loubet family, who entrusted its management to the Meillons (1886-1928). The latter made it a must for the high society, before it was converted into a condominium in the 1930s, a victim of the economic crisis.

The hotel, now divided into 55 apartments, preserves remarkable elements such as the decorations of the English Circle salons, inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 1988. Its neoclassical facade, with baluster balconies and octagonal towers, offers stunning views of the Pyrenees. The building symbolizes the Golden Age of Pau, then nicknamed "English City" and then "American City" for its tourist attraction.

The site rises on the location of a former 17th century mansion, transformed into a departmental prison after the Revolution. Lafourcade acquired this strategic terrain between the Château de Pau and the Saint-Martin church, marking the transition from prison use to an ambitious hotel project. Architecture incorporated technical innovations (electricity, telephone) rare for the time.

The living rooms of the English Circle, the only preserved spaces, illustrate the original fascia with their panelling, pilasters, and ground ceilings. The painted medallions and arcades framed by female sculptures testify to an eclectic decor, blending classicism and Belle Époque exuberance. Outside, organised around a double-access courtyard, reflects a social hierarchy between clients and staff.

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