To exuberance and fancy of Art Nouveau style followed between the two world wars two architectural movements with clean and rational forms : Art Deco and Modern Movement. Two styles that favored shapes harmony and functional accommodations.
City of Boulogne-Billancourt, bordering the 16th arrondissement, has many villas and Hôtels particuliers of these two movements, built by the greatest architects as Le Corbusier, Mallet- Stevens, Courréges, Perret brothers or Terry. A nice stroll for architecture lovers.
- The walking tour starts Porte de Saint-Cloud (line 9, 16th arrondissement). Go ahead Route de la Reine, then turn right onto Rue de la Tourelle . You enter Boulogne-Billancourt.
- 60-62 rue de la Tourelle, you can see a building complex made by Constant Lefranc . An architecture that uses for its facade concrete and brick, iconic materials of Art Deco.
- Go rue du Belvédère. Lined with villas and mansions, this street is one of the most stylish in Boulogne- Billancourt. Many were low cost artists workshops.
- Do not miss : No. 9, the large window and the pergola cement. Opposite, n° 6 to n° 12, the style and materials of villas remind a pretty English street. N°21 is a wonderful artist studio built by the Perret brothers for the sculptor Dora Gordine.
- Turn right onto Rue du Pavillon. In this street you will find two great Hôtels with different styles. One at n°10 , the other at the end of the street, n°1.
- There, you also have a nice view over two sport stadiums : the Parc des Princes (football) and the Jean Bouin stadium (Rugby – built in 2013) .
- Go ahead Marcel Loyau Street as far as Avenue Robert Schuman.
- Avenue Robert Schuman are several huge villas hidden behind gates. Have a glance to the n°19 bis, where had lived André Malraux from 1945 to 1962. You can find other amazing villas at n° 22, 24 and 26.
- Take then rue Salomon Reinach and walk to Place Denfert-Rochereau, then continue ahead rue Denfert -Rochereau. N°13, rue Denfert-Rochereau is an amazing and unusual house.
- Turn left rue Claude Monet and walk as far as rue Gambetta. Among the most beautiful buildings, notice the mansion of the architect Jean Niermans at n°3, rue Gambetta, or the Hotel at n°5, an original mix of modern and neoclassical architecture.
- At the end of the street, from the roundabout, admire the painter Alfred Lombard’s Hotel. Bought in 2007, it is now a historical monument and has been divided into three apartments.
- Take rue Denfert-Rochereau. The numbers 2, 4 and 6 form a nice triptych of modern architecture. The villa n°6 is the work of Le Corbusier.
End of the ride. You can go back to Porte de Saint-Cloud walking straight rue Denfert-Rochereau . At the level of Porte de Saint-Cloud, you can continue your architectural discoveries with the Guimard and Art Nouveau walking tour.
