Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Jassédé building is an emblematic residential complex of the Art Nouveau style, erected between 1904 and 1905 in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. Sponsored by the promoter Louis Jassedé, it consists of two adjoining buildings: one on Avenue de Versailles (7 floors, cut stone for a bourgeois clientele), the other on Rue Lancret (5 floors, painted brick for a more modest population). The two buildings share a common courtyard and feature decorative cast iron elements designed by Hector Guimard, an architect renowned for his work in the Paris metro.

The facades and roofs, as well as the stairwells with their entrances, were protected by an inscription to the historic monuments on 11 July 1984. This classification highlights the heritage value of the building, marked by a social duality reflected in the materials and height of the buildings. The building on Avenue de Versailles, more luxurious, contrasts with that on Rue Lancret, more sober, while sharing a stylistic unit unique to Art Nouveau.

Hector Guimard, a visionary architect, applied innovative principles for the time, combining functionality and aesthetics. The cast iron elements, typical of its architectural language, adorn balconies, doors and stairs. The project also illustrates the collaboration between an ambitious promoter, Louis Jassedé, and an avant-garde architect, in a Paris neighbourhood in the midst of urban transformation.

Located at 142 avenue de Versailles and 1 rue Lancret, the building remains a rare testimony of Art Nouveau in Paris, often associated with metro entrances or private hotels. Its designation as historic monuments in 1984 preserved its original features, despite the 20th century real estate pressures. Today, it attracts lovers of architecture for its audacity and social history.

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