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Origin and history

The Château Boulard, originally named Villa in Biarritz and then Folies Boulart by the premises, was built between 1872 and 1881 on a five-hectare plot acquired by Charles Boulart, master of forges and deputy of the Landes. Designed by Joseph Louis Duc — renowned architect of the Palais de Justice de Paris and winner of the Grand Prix de Rome — the project combines architectural eclecticism, combining Renaissance motifs (triangular borders, mascarons) and Mediterranean elements (loggia, octagonal tower). Duc, who died in 1879 before the completion of the works, was relayed by his collaborator François Roux, who led the project in the long term by integrating innovations such as a hot air central heating or a lift.

The villa embodies the fascist of the imperial high bourgeoisie: Charles Boulart, son-in-law of the intendant of Napoleon III, Charles Darricau, and grandson by alliance of General Augustin Darricau, receives the European elite there. The castle, with an eight-column marble atrium, a double-revolution staircase decorated with dragon-like ironwork, and an Italian dome illuminated by stained glass windows signed Eugène Oudinot de la Faverie (1871), symbolizes the technological and artistic luxury of the period. The Friular mosaics, marbles from 34 different quarries, and the mythological paintings by Tony Robert-Fleury (discovered in 2016) testify to a demanding patronage.

Transformed into a college by the institution Notre-Dame de Sion from 1930 to 1974, the estate — initially five hectares — was gradually fragmented. Listed at the Additional Inventory of Historic Monuments in 1975 for its facades and roofs, the castle was acquired in 2015 by Pierre and Brigitte Delalonde, who undertook a thorough restoration: clearance of the cartridges of the Grand Salon, restoration of stained glass and mosaics, and reconstruction of the missing roof elements. Today, there remains a unicum of French eclectic architecture, marked by its family history and prestigious tenants, such as historian J.E. Courtenay Bodley (friend of Oscar Wilde) or American ambassador John G.A. Leishman.

The building also illustrates the rise of Biarritz as a worldly seaside resort, driven by Empress Eugénie. Napoleon III had built the Villa Eugénie (destructed in 1903), attracting crowned heads and artists. The Boulard Castle, with its 360° view view, is part of this tradition of exceptional residences, combining family intimacy and reception of personalities, such as King Oscar II of Sweden or King Edward VII of England, invited by successive tenants.

Architecturally, the villa is distinguished by its asymmetrical square plane, rhythmic by projections (bow-window, round tower with a dome), and its neo-Renaissance porch opening onto a vaulted staircase. The triptych glazed in trompe-l'oeil, representing a trellising garden, and the glass windows of the dome — inspired by medieval cut leather — underline the influence of Oudinot de la Faverie, master glassmaker awarded at the Universal Exhibition of 1878. The outbuildings ( stables, theatre, guardhouse) complemented an estate designed to combine modern comfort (sewers, underground tank) and social representation.

The recent restoration revealed hidden elements, such as the sculptures of the scabs of the northern pediment or the four mythological canvases of the Grand Salon ceiling, attributed to Tony Robert-Fleury. These discoveries, coupled with the exceptional conservation of mosaics (dissimulated until 1987) and marbles, confirm the heritage value of the site. The castle, now privately owned, perpetuates its role as a witness to the age of biarrois, between industrial heritage (the Castets des Boulart forges) and cultural influence.

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