Typical Villa of the French ’50s Destroyed

You remember my recent article on the “Maison Pigeon” in Rochefort (Charente Maritime, France) (See: “A House Typical of the French”50s”). This villa, a true testimony of the seaside architecture of the 1950s, like in Royan (France) and Brasilia (Brazil) was destroyed a few days ago.

It is a pity because it was the only one in Rochefort. Its trapezoidal decoration in a very original style that could be found in the splendid mosaic, the art metalwork and the aerial flight of stairs, the stunning roof, like in Californian houses, the stone ornamentation, the basin, all this is gone. And the inside distribution of rooms articulated around a large reception room looking on the terrace, and bathed in sunlight with the zenithal opening in the roof and large windows, all this completed a well-established harmony.

The architect, Louis Belasco (who worked in Royan), was very audacious in his 1958 construction and used a compromise between the Royan architecture at the end of WWII and Le Corbusier who just finished his chapel in Ronchamp (Haute-Saône, France) in 1955. It was a masterpiece of elegance and geometry. Unfortunately it had never been listed although it was considered one of the most remarkable edifices of the town in the Architectural Charter of Rochefort.

The house was surrounded by a garden planted in the style, so it was not hidden from the boulevard, you could not miss it.

The silhouette of the “Maison Pigeon” with its blue piles and its roof like a sail in the wind was quite popular in the neighborhood. Bulldozers have taken the magic of the place…

The “Maison Pigeon” before destruction in Rochefort, France:

The mosaic of the “Maison Pigeon”:

Art metalwork, geometrical design repeated in doors and mosaic at the Maison Pigeon: