Construction begins 1925 (≈ 1925)
Launch of the project by Le Corbusier.
1926
Completion of houses
Completion of houses 1926 (≈ 1926)
51 dwellings completed, left empty until 1929.
18 décembre 1980
First MH ranking
First MH ranking 18 décembre 1980 (≈ 1980)
House 3 rue des Arcades protected.
1998
Heritage Protection Area
Heritage Protection Area 1998 (≈ 1998)
Creation to preserve the architectural ensemble.
17 juillet 2016
UNESCO registration
UNESCO registration 17 juillet 2016 (≈ 2016)
World Heritage Classification with 16 other sites.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The whole house (cad. CS 112): registration by order of 10 September 2009
Key figures
Le Corbusier (Charles-Edouard Jeanneret) - Architect
Designer of the city, figure of modernism.
Pierre Jeanneret - Collaborating architect
Cousin and partner of Le Corbusier.
Henry Frugès - Industrial sponsor
Initiator of the project.
Origin and history
The city of Frugès-Le Corbusier, located in Pessac near Bordeaux, was designed in 1926 by the French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret for industrialist Henry Frugès. This project, originally planned for 127 houses, finally includes 51, divided into 7 innovative architectural types (zig-zag, quinconce, skyscrapers, etc.). The houses, with roof terraces and polychrome facades, illustrate the modernist principles of standardization and functionality, while integrating innovations such as insulated walls or hanging gardens. The city, long modified by its inhabitants, was gradually restored to its original appearance.
The city of Frugès has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2016, alongside 16 other works by Le Corbusier. Several houses are protected as historical monuments, including the arcade house (3 rue des Arcades), classified in 1980, and the skyscraper house (4 rue Le Corbusier), transformed into a municipal space open to the public. A model of the ensemble, made in 1967 by Henry and Christiane Fruggès, is on display. The city, now preserved in a heritage protection zone, embodies the social utopia of modern and accessible worker housing.
Fruges' initial project aimed to create a garden city on a wooded meadow, combining nature and avant-garde urban planning. Despite the difficult beginnings (the houses remained empty until 1929), the city became a major architectural laboratory. After decades forgotten, its rehabilitation by occupiers aware of Le Corbusier's work has preserved its popular and innovative character. The current architectural recommendations aim to reconcile preservation and adaptation to contemporary needs.
The Frugès city's application for UNESCO was initially rejected in 2009 and 2011, due to a dossier deemed too wide and the absence of the Chandigarh site in India. A new dossier, tabled in 2015, led to its registration on 17 July 2016 at the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee in Istanbul. This recognition enshrines its pioneering role in the history of modern architecture and its lasting influence on social planning.
