Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Villa Paul Poiret, also known as Château de Mézy, was built between 1921 and 1923 by architect Robert Mallet-Stevens for the designer Paul Poiret, a major figure in Parisian fashion. Inspired by Le Corbusier's purism, this ambitious project aims to create a futuristic residence in concrete, steel and glass, with 800 m2 of living space and 7 m high windows. The site, chosen for its panoramic view of the Seine and its proximity to the Olympic water body of the Mureaux (place of the Games of 1900 and 1924), symbolizes the aesthetic audacity of the inter-war period. Poiret, passionate about sailing, even planned a patio for fashion shows, but his bankruptcy in 1926 interrupted the work, leaving the building unfinished.

Acquired in 1930 by actress Elvire Popesco, the villa was finally completed in 1932 with major modifications by architect Paul Boyer. The latter adds elements of the Art Deco liner style (hublots, bastings), partially transforming Mallet-Stevens' original spirit. Popesco lived there until 1985, when the villa gained its nickname as "shipboard" or "Château de Mézy". Ranked a historic monument in 1984, however, it fell into ruins after the departure of its owner, before being bought in 1989 by Sidney Nata, who organized in 1991 a meeting of international architects (including Jean Nouvel and Renzo Piano) without concrete follow-up.

Since 2006, the villa has changed hands several times, with successive restorations aimed at regaining the spirit of Mallet-Stevens. In 2008, a rehabilitation led by Jean-Michel Wilmotte modernized facades and interiors, while preserving original volumes. Open episodicly during Heritage Days, she also appears in the cinema (Preest me your hand, Holy Motors). Its history reflects the artistic and social changes of the twentieth century, between architectural avant-garde, industrial decline (Poiret's failure) and heritage renaissances.

The site, located on a hillside overlooking the Seine, illustrates the modernist utopia of the 1920s: a "logical and geometric house", as described by Mallet-Stevens, where smooth surfaces, straight angles and industrial materials preceded the cannons of residential architecture. Despite the alterations of the following decades, the villa remains a unique testimony of the dialogue between cubism, purism and Art Deco, as well as the unknown ambitions of Paul Poiret, a fashion pioneer and avant-garde patron.

Today, Villa Paul Poiret embodies the challenges of preserving modern heritage. Its successive owners, from collectors to real estate developers, alternated between restoration and speculation, stressing the tensions between historical memory and land pressure in Île-de-France. Its inscription in historical monuments in 1984 saved the building, but its future remains linked to the commitment of its buyers, between openness to the public and private use.

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