A small jewel of modern architecture, the Villa Poiret is looking for a new owner for 4 million euros. A good excuse to delve into the history of this building, which has been passed from hand to hand for over a century.
"It's really a strange object in terms of its dimensions. There's something quite spectacular about it, which effectively evokes the splendor of great French architecture, the idea of a great modernist liner, linked to the triumph of modernity and the industrial era." Aurélien Vernant, director of Architecture de Collection, the agency in charge of the sale, has no words strong enough to describe this edifice overlooking the Seine valley. If the figures are anything to go by, the building has everything to impress: 800 square meters in the main villa, 1,000 square meters of panoramic terraces, and over 50,000 square meters of grounds. A true modernist château, looking for its next owner for 4 million euros. An owner who will join the already hectic history of the Villa Poiret, as the world of architecture and design loves to do.
It all began in the early 1920s. Paul Poiret, the great couturier of his time, bought 8 hectares in Mézy-sur-Seine for his retirement. The man hesitated between several personalities to build his future nest. Louis Süe, the great designer of the turn of the century, was first approached. Then it was Auguste Perret's turn, a magician of reinforced concrete. Finally, Robert Mallet-Stevens, who designed the Villa Noailles and the Villa Cavrois, was chosen. Work began. Unfortunately, Paul Poiret went bankrupt in 1926. Having to move into the janitor's house, he disposed of the unfinished building in 1930. Purchased by actress Elvire Popesco, the villa was once again under construction, first by Mallet-Stevens, then by Paul Boyer. Work was completed in 1938.
It wasn't until the 1970s that Mézy-sur-Seine's ups and downs resumed. At the beginning of the decade, a section of the villa's grounds was sold to build housing estates. Fourteen years later, it was finally listed as a Monument Historique. But this in no way augured a peaceful life for our modernist villa. And with good reason: bought back in 1988, it was about to be joined by five other villas inspired by its silhouette, and designed by Claude Parent, the great master of oblique architecture. However, the project never came to fruition. Villa Poiret is sold again.
The new owner, businessman Sidney Nata, was not short of ideas. In 1991, he and Claude Parent launched "La confrontation de Mézy". He invited 17 architects to design a model housing estate. The guest list included some of the greatest architects of the time: Tadao Ando, Ricardo Bofill, Jean Nouvel, Norman Foster, Alvaro Siza, Frank Gehry and Renzo Piano. But once again, due to a lack of funds, the venture failed. Five years later, Nata died. Villa Poiret was once again put up for sale.
First acquired in 1999 by a contemporary and industrial art lover, it became the property of a developer in 2006. Jean-Michel Wilmotte was commissioned to design the basement, including an indoor swimming pool. " The project never really got off the ground, and the pool was never put in the water. It's part of the history of the place, as if things never came to fruition. You have to see it as a long-term project," says Aurélien Vernant, " and that's what excites the imagination.
