At the end of the 19th century, the still rural communes of Passy, Auteuil and Chaillot were annexed to the capital, leaving vast spaces available for architectural experimentation. The Art Nouveau movement took root here, thanks to its most famous representative in France, the architect Hector Guimard, himself inspired by the figurehead of this movement, the Belgian Victor Horta. From the 1920s onwards, Art Deco took center stage. Geometry prevailed over curves, horizontality over verticality, and scrolls disappeared in favor of symmetry.
Entrance doors, balconies, subway entrances, shop windows and building pediments: the west of Paris is brimming with tiny or sumptuous examples of these two artistic movements of the early 19th century. Discover these architectural treasures on a stroll through the 16th district.
1 / Le café Prunier
Head up towards Place Victor Hugo to reach the avenue of the same name. At number 16, on the corner of rue de Traktir, you'll find a real architectural gem: the café Prunier. Designed by architect Louis-Hippolyte Boileau in 1925, the restaurant boasts large glass openings and a magnificent blue mosaic façade of astonishing detail by Auguste Labouret. While circles predominate, there are also sunburst semicircles, pentagons, stars, jellyfish and fish; geometric and animal motifs are typical of Art Deco.
Café Prunier – 16 avenue Victor Hugo, Paris 16e
2 / L’hôtel Pauilhac
Joining Avenue Raymond Poincaré, number 59 is home to the **hôtel particulier Pauilhac** an example of Late Art Nouveau. Built in 1911, the first floor and first two storeys feature the usual roundings around the openings, as well as sculptures of pine branches and cones, while the roof displays Gothic-style lines, as evidenced by the curved dormers. This blend of styles was the hallmark of the Nancy School.
Hôtel Pauilhac - 59 avenue Raymond Poincaré, Paris 16e
For further information on Pauilhac Hotel
3 / La cité de l’Argentine (closed for repairs)
Continue along avenue Victor Hugo and stop at number 111 to admire the Art Nouveau-style cité de l'Argentine, also known as the galerie Argentine. Designed between 1904 and 1907 by Henri Sauvage and Charles Sarrazin, it takes its name from the Argentine businessman Mayol de Senillosa, who commissioned its construction. Inspired by the covered passageways of the 18th and 19th centuries, this shopping galerie features a blue iron framework and a succession of two glass roofs, one fishbone-shaped and the other square, offering soft zenithal light. The second-floor loggia is embellished by a delicate, wrought-iron walkway. The first floor is still home to a variety of shops.
Cité de l’Argentine – 111 avenue Victor Hugo, Paris 16e
4 / La bouche de métro Guimard, porte Dauphine
The famous bouche de métro, bearing the Guimard signature, is emblematic of the capital. The Porte Dauphine is one of the finest examples. An authentic model in the "dragonfly" style, the entrance characterized by long "lily of the valley" stems, molded cast-iron and a double-sloped glass roof is a perfect illustration of the main principles of Art Nouveau: the use of metals, the inspiration of flora and fauna, and the fluidity of curves.
Did you know? 380 Guimard aediculae were designed between 1899 and 1904. Only 86 remain today, spread over 66 stations.
Porte Dauphine, Paris 16e
For further information on the bouche de métro Guimard
5 / Immeuble du 115 avenue Henri Martin
Continuing along avenue Henri Martin, at number 115 you'll come across an example of "French equilibrium", with carefully proportioned buildings designed by architect Michel Roux-Spitz. Built between 1929 and 1931, this block, known as the "white series", illustrates the stripped-down Art Deco style of the period. The volumes are massive, the rows of windows absolutely symmetrical and the bays have replaced the bow-windows.
115 avenue Henri Martin, Paris 16e
6 / Le restaurant Bon
In the Chaillot district of Paris, the restaurant Bon - a former Orève florist's shop - whose decoration has been revisited by designer Philippe Starck, has preserved a delightful architecture dating from 1910. Located at 25 rue de la Pompe, it features ochre and pale blue glazed bricks, sculpted motifs, a superb period greenhouse and a plant mosaic on a gold background depicting garlands of oak and chestnut trees. The architect, Lecourtois, had designed a façade with two orientations: the store is aligned with the street, while the building faces south-east.
Restaurant Bon - 25 rue de la Pompe, Paris 16e
Take a detour down rue Vineuse and you'll see several bare facades with simplified lines, often positioned at the intersection of two streets. Cut-aways are typical of the Art Deco style, which avoids right angles. Then on to rue de l'Assomption.
7 / N°44 et 50 rue de l’Assomption
Rue de l'Assomption reveals two characteristic Art Deco buildings at numbers 44 and 50. Adorned with fruit baskets and wrought-iron spirals, enhanced by pediments and exposed stairwells, they feature a wide variety of materials. The economic difficulties of the interwar period forced architects to use less noble materials, and sandstone rubbed shoulders with concrete, iron and brick.
44 et 50 rue de l’Assomption, Paris 16e
8 / Le Castel Béranger
Located in the heart of the Muette district, the Castel Béranger completed in 1898 is considered to be Hector Guimard's founding work. The young architect won 1st prize for the most beautiful facade in Paris. The façade is in stark contrast to the codes of the time! The tones are luminous: water-green, orange or beige, the group of buildings is intersected by more or less bulging bays, some of which resemble watchtowers.
The front door features an undulating asymmetry, the balconies are particularly elaborate and the building is composed of a disparate yet harmonious assemblage of brick, ceramics - the emblematic material of this movement - glazed sandstone, metal and millstone. Finally, the various animals, such as the iron seahorses climbing up the façade, witness the creative freedom that characterizes Art Nouveau. Hector Guimard also worked on the interior decoration, designing wallpaper, door handles and carpets (Visit possible).
Did you know? Art Nouveau, freely inspired by nature and favoring curves and arabesques, didn't have just a few enthusiastic supporters at the time. Detractors dubbed this artistic movement the "noodle style" and nicknamed the building the "Castel dérangé".
Castel Béranger - 14 rue Jean de La Fontaine, Paris 16e
In the same rue Jean de La Fontaine, numbers 17, 19 and 21 are in the same style, as are the nearby numbers 43 rue Gros and 8-10 rue Agar. These include ashlar facades, plant columns around the doors, full-height undulations and cast-iron street signs with white lettering on blue enamel.
9 / L’hôtel Mezzara
At 60 rue Jean de La Fontaine stands the hôtel Mezzara, built in 1910. More sober than its predecessor, it witnesses the evolution of Hector Guimard's style, fifteen years after the Castel Béranger: refinement succeeded exuberance. Elegantly designed for Paul Mezzara, an artist of the period and friend of the architect, the hotel's interior spaces are tastefully arranged, with a glass roof opening onto a central patio. On the street side, an elegantly proportioned facade is set back from the wrought-iron grate adorned with brambles and flowers by an opening that airs the whole. (Visit with permission)
Hôtel Mezzara - 60 rue Jean de La Fontaine, Paris 16e
10 / L’hôtel Guimard
A few steps away, you'll find the private mansion bearing the architect's name. Guimard had it built in 1909 - his monogram is carved above the door - and established his home and design offices here. Floral motifs and curves frame the entrance doors and windows, as do a wide variety of volumes between openings and between levels: the 3rd level widens, while the 4th recedes to create a balcony and awning. The intricate ironwork and the use of glass are characteristic of the Art Nouveau style, which attaches great importance to detail and the entry of light. The two lanterns visible on the 3rd-floor balcony are a recurring feature of the architect's work.
Hôtel Guimard - 122 avenue Mozart, Paris 16e
For further information on Guimard Hotel
11 / Rue Heine et rue Chardon Lagache
The building at 18 rue Heine is one of Hector Guimard's last creations. Built in 1926, the building recalls some of the details dear to the architect, but its many angles and sobriety herald the new Art Deco movement.
18 rue Heine, Paris 16e
Rue Chardon Lagache, an Art Deco building built in 1934 at number 16 by Jean Hillard is distinguished by a remarkable bas-relief: two sets stretch upwards over the four floors. Signed by sculptor Georges Maxime Chiquet, the first depicts winegrowing, the second agricultural work. Not far away, at the Chardon-Lagache station, we find a Guimard aedicule, comprising a railing and two candelabras.
Immeuble du 16 rue Chardon Lagache, Paris 16e
12 / Les hôtels Deron-Levent et Jassédé
Continue your walk to 8 villa de la Réunion. Here, you'll see an Art Nouveau creation by Hector Guimard: the Hôtel Deron-Levent, with its double facade. The wrought-ironwork is extremely fine, such as the gutter on the top floor, which is supported by wrought-iron torches. The white stone windows are topped with magnificent sculptures.
Hôtel Deron-Levent - 8 villa de la Réunion, Paris 16e
A few more steps and you're at 142 avenue de Versailles, where you'll find the hôtel Jassédé. Also built by Hector Guimard when he was just 26, the mansion blends brick, millstone and ceramics. The building features stepped windows and colorful floral friezes.
Hôtel Jassédé - 142, avenue de Versailles, Paris 16e
13 / L’École du Sacré-Cœur
To the south of the Auteuil district, you can admire another work by Hector Guimard: the ancienne École du Sacré-Cœur built in 1895. A little-known work, it was inspired by the work of Viollet-le-Duc, whom the architect admired. The V-shaped cast-iron pillars that support the building provide a hollowed-out first floor that serves as a playground. Now a residential building, the first floor is now glazed.
École du Sacré-Cœur - 11 avenue de la Frillière, Paris 16e
14 / Route de la Reine et rue du Commandant Guilbaud
Go to Place de la Porte de Saint-Cloud. At number 5, you'll find a group of opulent brick buildings topped by a gabled staircase and decorated with mosaics.
5 place de la porte de Saint-Cloud, Paris 16e
On Route de la Reine, you'll see some impressive white buildings in the liner style. In the vein of Art Deco, this style reflects the aesthetics of shipbuilding, which was very much in vogue at the time. It features façades with little ornamentation, flat roofs, gabled pediments and porthole windows.
Route de la Reine, Paris 16e
Head for rue du Commandant Guilbaud. At numbers 3 and 9, architects Jean Boucher and André Chauveau** opted for an art deco variation between stone and white brick. Ironwork and bas-reliefs also feature prominently, illustrating bouquets of flowers or a pineapple palm. Last but not least, the four different entrances add to the richness of the building, keeping it from becoming too monotonous.
3 et 9 rue du Commandant Guilbaud, Paris 16e
15 / La piscine Molitor
Continue along rue du Commandant Guilbaud, past the traffic circle onto rue Nungesser et Coli. At number 13 is the splendid Molitor swimming pool. Built in 1929 by architect Lucien Pollet, this municipal pool looks like a white ocean liner with Art Deco lines. The stained-glass windows are by Louis Barillet.
Very popular with Parisians for cooling off in summer, its outdoor pool was transformed into an ice rink in winter until the 1970s! Closed in 1989, it became a venue for street-art performances. After numerous transformations, this historic monument became a luxury hotel. The pool, famous for its blue cabins, stained-glass windows, mosaics and Art Deco facade, was rebuilt identically.
Did you know? The bikini was first worn in July 1946 at the Molitor swimming pool during a swimsuit contest!
Hôtel Molitor Paris – MGallery – 13 rue Nungesser et Coli, Paris 16e
For further information about the Piscine Molitor
