Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Vermorel villa, classified as a Historic Monument in 2021, is distinguished by its striking contrast between a sober facade and luxurious interior furnishings. Organised around a large central hall, it is inspired by the Petit Trianon de Versailles for its honorary staircase, while an industrial window crowns the space. These architectural choices, usually reserved for public buildings, underline the ambition of its owner, Vermorel, to extend his professional activities there and to display his social status.

The reception spaces on the ground floor were designed as a showcase of Vermorel's entrepreneurial success, combining privacy and public representation. The villa, fully protected with its park, greenhouse and fences (excluding garages and dressing room), also illustrates the alliance between art crafts and technical innovation. Architects Joannès Fouchy and Alfred Rome, as well as painter Louis Bardey, contributed to this project where each detail incorporated a symbolic or functional dimension.

Located at 551 rue du Collège in Villefranche-sur-Saône, the villa embodies the industrial golden age of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Its recent ranking (2021) preserves a rare testimony of private architecture of the twentieth century, where discreet luxury served both as a tool of power and as a living environment. However, the accuracy of its location remains poor (level 5/10), perhaps reflecting documentary limitations on its urban history.

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