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House à Royan en Charente-Maritime

House

    1 Avenue du Collège
    17200 Royan
Private property
Crédit photo : POM - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1945
Royan Bombardment
1952
Construction begins
1960
Completion of the villa
7 juin 2007
Historical monument classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

In total, the house and the ground of the plot on which it is situated, including the fence elements surrounding it (Box AO 381): inscription by order of 7 June 2007

Key figures

Georges Gracieux - Contractor Sponsor of the villa in 1952.
Pierre Marmouget - Architect Co-conceptor of initial and final plans.
Édouard Pinet - Architect Collaborative with the modified design.
Claude Ferret - Urbanist Coordinator of the reconstruction of Royan.

Origin and history

Villa Gracieux, located at the intersection of Emile-Zola Avenues and the Collège à Royan, was commissioned in 1952 by Georges Gracieux. Designed by architects Pierre Marmuget and Édouard Pinet, its construction was completed in 1960 after modifications of the original plans. The modern building is distinguished by its southern hemicycle, its garage topped by a terrace, and a west façade combining concrete, glass and wood. Its overhead concrete staircase, resting on a central beam, and its hall opened by a stone wall illustrate the architectural innovation of the era.

The villa is part of the reconstruction of Royan after the 1945 Allied bombings, which destroyed much of the city. Under the impetus of urban planner Claude Ferret, the park district, relatively spared, became a laboratory of architectural modernism. The Villa Gracieux is an outstanding testimony, combining functionality and avant-garde aesthetics. Its garden, its entrance gate to No. 22, and its open screen balcony reflect a search for harmony between private and urban space.

Classified as a historic monument by order of 7 June 2007, the villa is fully protected, including its grounds and fences. This status underscores its heritage importance in the history of 20th century architecture in Charente-Maritime. The materials used – concrete, ironwork, glass slabs – and the composition of the volumes make it a representative work of post-war reconstruction, mixing technical audacity and artistic sensitivity.

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