Initial project 1934 (≈ 1934)
Abandonment of the extension of the chalet to a villa.
3 novembre 1934
Description of work
Description of work 3 novembre 1934 (≈ 1934)
Date of the descriptive estimate prepared by Jean Gassan.
16 janvier 1935
Procurement of land
Procurement of land 16 janvier 1935 (≈ 1935)
Acquisition by Louis Fabre before construction.
21 février 1935
Laying the first stone
Laying the first stone 21 février 1935 (≈ 1935)
Official start of construction work.
1935
Completion of the villa
Completion of the villa 1935 (≈ 1935)
Date engraved on the façade and end of the works.
19 juin 2023
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 19 juin 2023 (≈ 2023)
Registration of the villa and its park.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The "Maïtena" villa, in its entirety, as well as parcels Nos. 418, 419 and 422 in the land register section AM corresponding to the park, including developments (channels, borders, wells), the gate and the fence wall – as delimited in red on the plan annexed to the decree: inscription by order of 19 June 2023
Key figures
Louis Fabre - Sponsor and industrial
Owner of the Fabre foundry in Maubourguet.
Jean Gassan - Architect
Designer of the villa in neo-basque style.
Jean Martin - Architect (project not accepted)
Originally associated with the expansion project.
Origin and history
The "Maitena" villa was built in 1935 in Maubourguet, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, for industrialist Louis Fabre, owner of a local foundry. Designed by the Tarbais architect Jean Gassan, it replaces an initial project to expand a cottage. The neo-basque style, marked by fake green wood panels, canal tile balconies and carved crows, dominates the south and east facades, while the interior mixes Art Deco and regionalism, as evidenced by the stair ramp in steps or the marble and granite fireplaces.
The 6250 m2 park, which is now fragmented, originally housed a main entrance with a concrete pergola on the rue des Pyrénées. The villa, of about 250 m2, is distinguished by its asymmetry, its landings (loggias, forebody) and its picturesque details, such as the date " 1935" and the name "Maïtena" ("the beloved" in Basque) engraved under a raven. The interior, organized around a central hall, preserves original elements: floor mosaics, luminaires, tiles, and a dining room decorated with staff beams and a granite fireplace engraved with a Basque inscription.
Louis Fabre, owner of the villa, was an industrialist linked to the nearby Fabre foundry. The choice of the neo-Basque style could be explained by its secondary residence on the Basque coast, although the final project is part of the continuity of Jean Gassan's achievements in Tarbes, such as the villas of the Ormeau estate. The initial plans, dated 1934, show an evolution towards a more marked regionalism, with the addition of balconies, crows and genoese. The first stone was laid on 21 February 1935, after the land was purchased on 16 January of the same year.
The villa, classified as Historic Monument in 2023, includes in its protection the park (with its original amenities such as canals and well), the gate and the fence wall. Among the remarkable rooms, the office preserves a fireplace in griotte marble and buckrancolin, while the laundry and garages have kept their period equipment (wash, drain hatch). The current owners bought a portion of the neo-basque furniture designed for the dining room, whose drawings are archived.
The architecture of the villa reflects a fusion between Art Deco — visible in the symmetry of the openings, the staircase ramp or the mosaics on the ground — and Basque regionalism, illustrated by the claustras in canal tiles, the Navarra doors and the inscriptions in Euskara. This stylistic dualism extends to decorative details, such as the cast iron bells and grilles from the Fabre foundry, or the chimney chenets of Bigourdan inspiration. The villa, now accessible by rue Jacques Bounneau, remains a testament to the cultural and artistic exchanges of the 1930s in southwestern France.
