Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Masson building, located at 17 Julien Avenue in Clermont-Ferrand, is a complex of condominiums built between 1928 and 1933 by architect Marius Lanquette. This project is part of the Art Deco style, marked by geometric aesthetics and noble materials. The stone facades, supported by a metal frame, are rhythmic by ressalts, loggias, balconies and terraces, creating a dynamic set of volumes. The decorative details — canned pilasters, stylized flowers, balustrades or ironworks — reflect the artistic exuberance of the period, while integrating technical innovations for collective housing.

Ranked Historic Monument by order of 12 February 2002, the building is fully protected, including its interior fittings. This recognition underscores its importance as a testimony to the modern French architecture of the 1930s, when Clermont-Ferrand, an expanding city, received bold achievements. The choice of Art Deco, then in vogue for public and private buildings, symbolizes a desire for modernity, mixing functionality and ornamentation.

The architect Marius Lanquette, a local figure of that time, deploys a know-how combining metal structure and cut stone, typical of bourgeois buildings of the inter-war period. The eight levels of the building, animated by light games and varied perspectives, make it a model of urban housing of standing. The original carpentry and ironworks, often preserved, add to its authenticity, while the location on Avenue Julien, the central artery, strengthens its anchoring in the Clermontian landscape.

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