VILLA CAVROIS

An emblematic house of the Lille metropolis, the Villa Cavrois is a total work of art, a true masterpiece of modern architecture with astonishing geometric precision. Designed by the architect Mallet-Stevens for the family of the industrialist Paul Cavrois, the house was built between 1929 and 1932. Paul Cavrois, having acquired a piece of land in Croix (on the outskirts of Roubaix), wanted to build a house to live in with his wife Lucie and their seven children. The couple placed their trust entirely in the architect Mallet-Stevens, conquered by his modern talent. The villa was inaugurated in 1932, for the wedding of Geneviève, one of the family's daughters. Inhabited until 1985, it was then abandoned before being the object of a vast rescue plan and becoming a classified historical monument in 1990 and bought by the State in 2001. This long period of abandonment has greatly degraded the villa since it was squatted, looted and vandalized. During the visit, you will discover, in the boys' room, the state in which the whole villa was at the time - testimony of a tumultuous period. It took a lot of research and acquisition work to bring back the furniture of the house. Indeed, Robert Mallet-Stevens had designed each room entirely, right down to the furniture. Thanks to photographs from the period, a large part of the furniture was able to be returned to its original place. The visit is very instructive, and the video space allows visitors to discover all the secrets of this gigantic and exceptional building. Discover for example the testimony of Christine Jouret, granddaughter of Paul Cavrois. You can also visit the villa from home thanks to an application that lets you discover the place thanks to a 3D reconstruction. But nothing is worth the trip! Don't forget to enjoy the garden and the incredible reflection of the house on the long water mirror (72 meters long). A little anecdote: this water mirror had been filled in by the Germans during the occupation, finding it too visible from the sky. It was also Mallet-Stevens who designed this magnificent park, heir to the regular gardens of the 17th century. The lines of the villa continue in the water mirror. Poetic and unforgettable. Note that an agenda, available on the website, presents the many events organized at the villa: conferences, concerts, specific and thematic visits, various means to discover the place differently. A unique place to discover urgently!