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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Villa Lumière is a bourgeois house built between 1899 and 1902 in Lyon, in the 8th arrondissement, near the Lumière factories. Sponsored by Antoine Lumière, father of cinema inventors, it was designed by architects Paul Boucher and Charles-Joseph Alex as a family residence. Although intended to house the family, it was mainly occupied by Jeanne-Josephine Lumière, wife of Antoine, before becoming an administrative place for the society Lumière from 1950. Its Art Nouveau style and its link to the history of cinema make it an emblematic building.

The villa, classified as a historical monument in 1986 and labeled "House of Illustrators" in 2011, was renovated in 1978 to house the National Photography Foundation until 1993. After that date, she joined the Musée Lumière and the Raymond Chirat library, run by the Institut Lumière. Located next to the First-Film hangar, it symbolizes the industrial and cultural heritage of the Light family. In 2023, after works of accessibility and modernization, the museum reopens its doors to the public, perpetuating its vocation as a place dedicated to image and history.

The building combines a luxurious decoration, characteristic of Art Nouveau, with a history intimately linked to the beginnings of cinema. Its ranking and location make it a major site of Lyon heritage, attracting researchers and visitors. The villa also illustrates the evolution of heritage uses, from private residence to museum space, while preserving its historical identity.

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