Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

This house is part of Saurupt Park, a private estate created in 1901 in Nancy under the impulse of Jules Villard, husband of the widow Hinzelin, owner of the estate. The project is part of the post-1870 housing crisis, linked to the influx of people after the annexation of Alsace-Moselle. Inspired by the English garden towns and Vesinet, the park was to accommodate 88 properties on 18 hectares, served by private streets and closed Art Nouveau grids designed by Émile André. Only six villas were built before 1906, when the project was reviewed to target a less affluent clientele, replacing isolated villas with adjoining houses.

The house in question, designed in the style of École de Nancy (local branch of Art Nouveau), reflects the influence of architects Émile André and Henri Gutton, major figures of the movement. The subdivision gradually integrated the municipal network after 1910, losing its grids and private character. The park, completed in the 1930s, blends Art Nouveau and Art Deco, reflecting the evolution of architectural tastes. The concierge house, originally planned to keep the park entrance, was enlarged in 1910 by Joseph Hornecker after the municipalization of the tracks.

In the 20th century, the district of Saurupt, a former place of relaxation for the Ducal family of Lorraine, became a symbol of the urbanisation of the Netherlands. The historic castle, left to the city in 1918, was destroyed in 1936 to give way to the School of Mines. Despite the disappearance of some emblematic villas (such as the villa-control in 1974), the park retains remarkable examples of bourgeois architecture, including the villa Les Cigognes, used as a decor in the film I have long loved you (2008).

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