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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building housing the café Le Fin de Siècle was erected in 1899 as part of the drilling of the passage Vidau, an urban operation led by entrepreneur Charles Vidau. Located in Cavaillon (Vaucluse), on a rectangular plot between Place du Clos and Rue Pelident, the building is distinguished by its white limestone façade, its two square floors and its abundant moulure décor. The entrance of the passage, marked by sculpted consoles of vegetal motifs, bears the name of the coffee in red mosaic on a golden background, while another mosaic on the threshold indicates the name of the contractor and the date of construction. Inside, the coffee room, illuminated by two windows, has a fabulous décor: floor mosaics, ceiling gypseries, mirrors and four original wall paintings. A staircase leads to a restaurant room, an old meeting room, and a private apartment on the upper floor.

The café is part of a larger urban project led by Charles Vidau, whose company also realized the adjacent passage, Liffran Street, the Crédit Lyonnais building and its own residence on Bournissac Cours. The carved decorations of the facades were the work of his sons, while the mosaics were executed by Italian masons. The family association ceased before World War I. Symbol of the golden age of Cavaillonese coffees (1860–1945), this place preserves a recent furniture but inspired by the original style (marble tables, rattan chairs). Testimonials also evoke a little theatre that is now gone, probably accessible by the carved door of the passage. The elements protected since 1991 include the facade, roof, the coffee room with its decor, as well as the front and the marquise.

Ranked a Historic Monument, the café Le Fin de Siècle illustrates both the opulence of the public establishments of the Belle Époque and the know-how of local artisans. Recent restorations covered the four tables, gypsumboards (painted) and the doorway (cleaned in 1986). This building, the last vestige of Cavaillon's iconic cafes, also bears witness to Charles Vidau's influence on the city's urban landscape at the hinge of the 19th and 20th centuries. Its exceptional state of conservation makes it a rare example in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

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