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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Villa Gros, built in 1936-37 in Clermont-Ferrand, was commissioned by local industrialist Jean-Auguste Gros to architect Georges Michaud. This project embodies a unique fusion of architectural currents of the 1930s: bourgeois classicism (massed plan, master's house), Art Deco (blue flammed sandstone portal, column perron, pergola), and international modernism (clean volumes, innovative materials). The "ship" style, visible in semi-circular tubular railing balconies, and regionalism, present in facades, reinforce its hybrid character. The villa marks a transition between the bourgeois home before 1914 and the contemporary post-war pavilion.

The property, organized on four levels (semi-entered basement with garage and boiler room, ground floor dedicated to reception rooms, floors reserved for bedrooms and a studio with terrace), reflects the easy lifestyle of its sponsor. It was acquired by the Michelin group between 1961 and 1978, before being nicknamed "Villa Hibou" after its occupation by the eponymous family from 1968. Its inscription in historical monuments in 2009, covering the entire building (inners, gate, plot), underscores its heritage value as testimony to the architectural experiments of the 1930s.

The architect Georges Michaud deploys an eclectic vocabulary: stylized capitals, ground cornices, and sandstone gardeners dialogue with fluid lines and generous openings. The villa, located at 2 boulevard Claude-Bernard, also embodies the industrial influence of Clermont-Ferrand, a city marked by dynasties like Michelin or Gros. Its monumental portal, decorated with blue sandstone tiles, and its preserved interiors make it a rare example of a synthesis between local tradition and international avant-garde, characteristic of the inter-war period in Auvergne.

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