Villa Cavrois

Robert Mallet-Stevens

Roubaix (Croix), 60 Avenue John Fitzgerald Kennedy

1929-1932

Villa Cavrois

This building has been on my to do list for some time. Previous attempt to visit it dates from September last year. Unfortunately, it was then just a sort of Heritage Day in France, making the monument free to visit. No more visitors were allowed after 14:00 … On April 27, 2016 we were more lucky: King’s Day in the Netherlands so the boyfriend was free. It rained and hailed all the way there, but when we arrived in Roubaix, the sun was shining. Fortunately, I was already afraid of gray photos and some interior details. On the way back we drove past a work by Juliaan Lampens, which was in a somewhat lesser state …

Robert Mallet-Stevens

The client for this building was Paul Cavrois (1890-1965), an industrialist with 7 children and domestic staff. The yellow parament stone (specially made for this villa) hides the concrete skeleton and double walls of red brick. It was designed by architect Robert Mallet-Stevens as a total work of art (the furniture was also designed by him). In 1930 the architect took Paul Cavrois and his son to Hilversum to see the town hall of Dudok. Cavrois gave Mallet-Stevens the approval to continue working in this style.

Route through the house

It is recommended to start the visit in the basement. In the former washing place, boiler room and two wine cellars, tablets hang on the wall that give you information on all aspects of the home in three languages ​​- including Dutch. The wine cellars were converted into a material library, which shows the old and new materials used in the villa. Here the old sockets are brought together and you can find old bath legs. You can go back outside the garage for two cars or at the laundry room. Everything that is new is installed here: central heating, ventilation, elevator, telephone and a radio in every room. They worked with 3 water pipes: hot, cold and softened water.

The left side is the wing for the parents with a very luxurious and very large bathroom. The shower has side nozzles and in the bathroom there is a built-in scale. On the other side of the central hall – salon is the wing of the children and nannies. Here a room has not been renovated to show how great the havoc was during the long vacancy.

Restoration

After the war, the villa is rebuilt for two extra apartments for his oldest sons. The Cavrois family lived in this house until 1985. In 1987 the furniture is sold at an auction. The next owner wanted to parcel out the park, which could not continue because the villa was classified as a historic monument in 1990. Unfortunately, the owner didn’t care anymore. In 2001 the state buys the building and the restoration starts in 2003. The restoration goes back to the original plan of 1932. Thanks to the inventory of the auction, part of the original furniture is looked up again and the original furniture is found in many places . Even some plants are replanted with the help of old photos. Below a video about the restoration works of Villa Cavrois (only in French). Villa Cavrois will finally be open to the public on 13 June 2015.