VILLA CAVROIS

A landmark building in the Lille metropolitan area, the Villa Cavrois is a total work of art, a veritable masterpiece of modern architecture with astonishing geometric precision. Designed by architect Robert Mallet-Stevens for the family of industrialist Paul Cavrois, the house was built between 1929 and 1932. Paul Cavrois, having acquired a plot of land in Croix (on the outskirts of Roubaix), was looking to build a house to live in with his wife Lucie and their seven children. The couple put all their trust in architect Mallet-Stevens, won over 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 subject of an extensive rescue plan, becoming a listed historic monument in 1990 and being purchased by the State in 2001. This long period of neglect caused the villa to deteriorate considerably, as it was squatted, looted and vandalized. During your visit, you'll discover, in the boys' bedroom, the state the villa was in at the time - testimony to a tumultuous period. It took a long process of research and acquisition to bring back the house's furnishings. Indeed, Robert Mallet-Stevens had designed every room from scratch, right down to the furniture. Thanks to period photographs, much of the furniture has been returned to its original position. The tour is highly instructive, and the video area reveals all the secrets of this gigantic, exceptional building. Discover, for example, the testimony of Christine Jouret, Paul Cavrois' granddaughter. You can also visit the villa from the comfort of your own home, thanks to an application that takes you on a 3D tour of the site. 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 was filled in by the Germans during the Occupation, who found it too visible from the sky. Mallet-Stevens also 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. A calendar, available on the website, lists the many events taking place at the villa: conferences, concerts, special and themed tours, a variety of ways to discover the site in a different way. A unique place to discover!