Monaco villas explained

The historical villas of Monaco represent a significant example of residential architecture.[1] Originally seen as symbols of Belle Epoque luxury, they were once emblematic of the Principality itself. However, by the 1950s they were viewed by Monaco's Consultative Committee on Public Works as a social anachronism. While recent years have seen a renewed appreciation within the Principality for villa architecture, the number of historic villas remaining declines each year. In 1954 the Principality possessed 688 villas;[2] only a small fraction of that number still survive.

Heritage and its recognition

The urban history of Monaco and its villas has, until recently, been subject to poor documentation and archiving. As of 2016, Monaco still had no official preservation laws governing historic buildings.

In 1960 Prince Rainier III established the Monaco Economic Development Corporation to attract new business to the Principality. It was successful in this, but the influx of new investors and workers resulted in a wave of demolitions of Belle Epoque villas to enable the construction of apartments and new hotels.[3]

Following major development in the 1970s, Prince Rainier III banned high rise development in the Principality. However, his successor, Prince Albert II, overturned the Sovereign Order.[4] This, and a further influx of new residents, accelerated the destruction of the architectural heritage of single family villas for new luxury apartments.[5] Demands for affordable public housing led to further villa demolitions. In 2013, an official publication documenting the urban history of the Principality called it a place where "architecture is temporary".

In a nation where public dissent is rare, there was significant criticism of the destruction. The 2013 demolition of the Art Deco Sporting d'Hiver ("Winter Sporting") Club building, and the rotunda of the Hôtel de Paris and its 1900 extensions, caused further dismay,[6] [7] and the establishment of protest group "Monaco Patrimoine", whose leader was quoted as saying: "Monaco is destroying, without scruples, villas from the Belle Epoque…Monaco is losing its identity", and it was termed "a genocide of memories".

In 2015, a major row broke out between the Government and the elected National Council over the demolition of the picturesque Belle Epoque-style 1931 apartment building Le Palais de la Plage[8] (37 Avenue Princesse Grace – originally Boulevard des Bas-Moulins), which sat on the beachfront,[9] and was replaced by an apartment building of the same name. The President of the Cultural and Heritage Mission of the National Council, Daniel Boéri, termed the demolition "brutal", and that Monegasque citizens were being treated by the Government as "children incapable of reason". While a heritage law and Heritage Institute was still in planning, he said: "That we are still at this point in 2015 is breathtaking... The example of the Palais de la Plage is a perfect illustration of its absolute necessity."[10]

In 2015, it was revealed that Monaco state officials had, in a town planning document, identified 93 'remarkable' buildings and 29 'remarkable' facades worth preserving. However, these are to be re-evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The list also offered no guarantee of protection and was criticised for its major absences, including entire streets, and the Hotel de Paris, the Sporting d'Hiver, and the Hermitage.[11]

Significant losses

New villa development

List of historic and notable villas

Surviving villas are listed in boldfont; those known to have been demolished are in plainfont. Those identified as "remarkable" by the state[11] (see above) are indicated with an asterisk.* Note: new apartment/office constructions are often bestowed the same names as the villas they replaced.

AVENUE L'ANNONCIADE

AVENUE CARLOTTA (A private road in the La Rousse quarter that is no longer in existence, having been subsumed by development.)

AVENUE DE LA COSTA

AVENUE DE GRANDE BRETAGNE (previously AVENUE DES FLEURS)

AVENUE PRINCESSE GRACE (previously BOULEVARD DES BAS-MOULINS)

AVENUE DE LA MADONE

AVENUE D'OSTENDE

AVENUE DU PORT

AVENUE ROQUEVILLE

AVENUE SAINT CHARLES

AVENUE SAINT LAURENT

AVENUE SAINT MICHEL

AVENUE SAINT MARTIN

AVENUE SAINT ROMAN

BOULEVARD DE BELGIQUE

BOULEVARD DE FRANCE

BOULEVARD D'ITALIE

BOULEVARD DU JARDIN EXOTIQUE (previously BOULEVARD DE L'OBSERVATOIRE)

BOULEVARD DES MOULINS

BOULEVARD PRINCESSE CHARLOTTE (previously BOULEVARD DU NORD)

BOULEVARD RAINIER III (originally BOULEVARD DE L'OUEST)

BOULEVARD DE SUISSE

BOULEVARD DU TENAO

DESCENTE DU LARVOTTO

ESCALIER SAINT-DÉVOTE

PLACE DUE MARCHÉ

PLACE DES MOULINS

ROUTE DE LA MOYENNE CORNICHE

RUE AUGUSTIN VENTO

RUE BEL RESPIRO

Notes and References

  1. Giordano, Nathalie Rosticher (Ed.) Monacopolis: Architecture, Urban Planning and Urbanisation in Monaco: Projects and Constructions, 1858-2012, NMNM 2013, Monaco, p13, p629, p632-639
  2. Laplace, Pierre Villas Les Anciennes et leurs Hôtes à Monaco, Editions V. Gadoury, Monaco, 2015, p1
  3. Ring, Jim Riviera: The Rise and Rise of the Côte d'Azur, Faber & Faber, London 2011
  4. La tour Odéon, l'histoire d'un chantier dont les malheurs ont atteint des sommets. Vanity Fair. 2016-08-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20170813111930/http://www.vanityfair.fr/actualites/france/articles/monaco-la-tour-odeon-un-chantier-malheureux/23582. 2017-08-13. dead.
  5. News: Lyall . Sarah . Baume . Maïa de la . 2013-12-12 . Development Blitz Provokes a Murmur of Dissent in Monaco . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-03-03 . 0362-4331.
  6. Monaco's Heritage In Danger?, L'Observateur de Monaco, No141, April 2015; http://www.lobservateurdemonaco.mc/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Obs141.pdf
  7. Web site: Opposition mounts against Sporting d'Hiver demolition. 2016-08-07.
  8. Web site: Monaco Life. www.monacolife.net. 2016-08-08.
  9. Web site: Monaco 1931-2008 : devant le Palais de la plage... les souvenirs. archives.monacomatin.mc. 2016-08-08.
  10. Web site: Almighty row over damned villas. 2016-08-07.
  11. Monaco's Heritage In Danger?, L'Observateur de Monaco, No141, April 2015, pp60-67;http://www.lobservateurdemonaco.mc/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Obs141.pdf
  12. Web site: Une tour de 22 étages en préparation à Monaco. archives.monacomatin.mc. 2016-08-07.
  13. Web site: Le Stella (La Condamine) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-08.
  14. Web site: Les conseillers communaux favorables au projet Stella. archives.monacomatin.mc. 2016-08-08.
  15. Journal de Monaco, 28 March 2014, No8166
  16. Web site: C'est parti pour le Très grand Ida !. Milena. L'Observateur de Monaco.
  17. "Green Light Given To "Soleil Du Midi" Building On Plati Street, Hello Monaco, 23 December 2016
  18. Web site: A daring architectural project by Vladimir Melnichenko has been approved in Monaco | Monaco Wealth Management . 2017-08-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171001232824/http://monacowealthmanagement.com/news/2017/07/26/daring-architectural-project-vladimir-melnichenko-approved-monaco/ . 2017-10-01 . dead .
  19. "Maison diocésaine : « On espère pouvoir l’inaugurer en 2017 ", Monaco Hebdo, 16 April 2015
  20. Web site: PSS / Villa Roma (Monaco, Monaco). www.pss-archi.eu.
  21. https://www.infochantiers.mc L'Infochantiers En Temps Réel À Monaco
  22. Web site: Villas du Sporting. 2016-08-07.
  23. "Ce rocher deviendra prochainement… une villa", Monaco-Matin, 17 September 2017 http://www.monacomatin.mc/vie-locale/ce-rocher-deviendra-prochainement-une-villa-166925
  24. LaPlace, Pierre Les Anciennes Villas et Leurs Hôtes à Monaco, Èditions V. Gadoury, Monaco, 2015, p15.
  25. LaPlace, Pierre Les Anciennes Villas et Leurs Hôtes à Monaco, Èditions V. Gadoury, Monaco, 2015, p129.
  26. LaPlace, Pierre Les Anciennes Villas et Leurs Hôtes à Monaco, Èditions V. Gadoury, Monaco, 2015, p39–40.
  27. Web site: Villa Bijou (Monte-Carlo) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-08.
  28. Web site: Villa Montjoie - Villas - Réalisations - Entreprise Générale de bâtiment et travaux publics. www.satri.mc. 2016-08-07.
  29. At Monte Carlo, Derry Journal, 26 August 1903, p7.
  30. Web site: Le Clos Saint Martin (Monaco-ville) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-07.
  31. "Budget Primitif 2017", Monaco Hebdo, 19 December 2016
  32. Web site: Villa Boutons d'Or (Les Moneghetti) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-08.
  33. Web site: Villa Bon Accord (Les Moneghetti) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-08.
  34. Web site: Villa Italia (La Rousse) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-07.
  35. Web site: Villa Beaulieu (La Rousse) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-07.
  36. Web site: Villa Ribéri (La Rousse) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-07.
  37. Web site: Villa Le Rêve (La Rousse) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-07.
  38. Web site: Groupe Marzocco. www.groupemarzocco.mc. 2016-08-07.
  39. Web site: Villa Marie (La Rousse) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-07.
  40. Web site: Villa Danichgah (Les Moneghetti) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-08.
  41. Web site: Villa Marie-Antoinette (Les Moneghetti) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-08.
  42. Web site: Villa Bromar - Villas - Réalisations - Entreprise Générale de bâtiment et travaux publics. www.satri.mc. 2016-08-07.
  43. Web site: La Lestra Monaco Marcel Pagnol. www.marcel-pagnol.com. 2016-08-07.
  44. Web site: Villa La Lestra (Monte-Carlo, 2013) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-07.
  45. Journal De Monaco, 20 April 1875
  46. Web site: Al.ber.ti Entreprise de travaux public Monaco et Nice. www.alberti.fr. 2016-08-08.
  47. Web site: Villa Belle Vie (Monte-Carlo, 1893) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-07.
  48. Web site: C'est parti pour le Très grand Ida !. 2016-08-07.
  49. Web site: Villa Ida: 32 logements pour les Enfants du pays. archives.monacomatin.mc. 2016-08-07.
  50. Web site: Villa Trotty (La Rousse) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-07.
  51. Web site: L'architecture de style Belle Epoque à Monaco - Résultat de recherche - Villa Le Sphinx. Fialon. Sandrine. www.artfisa.fr. 2016-08-07.
  52. Web site: L'architecture de style Belle Epoque à Monaco - Résultat de recherche - Villa Girasole. Fialon. Sandrine. www.artfisa.fr. 2016-08-07.
  53. Web site: Villa des Garets (Les Moneghetti) Structurae. Structurae. 2016-08-08.
  54. Web site: A Monte Carlo House by Timothy Whealon . Architectural Digest. Watson. Simon. Penelope. Rowlands. May 2012 . 2016-08-07.
  55. Web site: Plan intéractif des lieux visités par Bacon à Monaco Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation. www.mbartfoundation.com. 2016-08-08.
  56. Web site: Groupe Marzocco. www.groupemarzocco.mc. 2016-08-07.
  57. Web site: The Gazette. The Gazette.
  58. Web site: Journal de Monaco. 12 June 2015.