Art Deco, an artistic and architectural movement which developed between the two wars, during the years 1910 – 1930. Present in many towns of Hauts-de-France, it remains a discreet and little-known heritage in Boulogne-sur -Sea.
–
In France, the years 1910-1930 were marked by intense construction activity in the building industry. A construction linked to the expansion of the city between the two wars, with new streets being opened. Less known for its Art Deco heritage than its neighbors in Hauts-de-France, such as Saint-Quentin, Béthune or Roubaix, the modest Boulogne-sur-Mer does not escape this logic of construction.
Construction of residential neighborhoods
Entire districts are emerging from the ground, such as Vieil Àtre, Bréquerecque or Beaurepaire. In Boulogne-sur-Mer, housing is scarce and you have to build quickly using cheap material: concrete. Star of this period, it is easy to work, easy to sculpt and paint.
“Most of the houses of this period were built for the middle bourgeoisie or the civil servants who settled in Boulogne-sur-Mer.“explains Eneline Guette, head of the public service at the city of art and history of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Houses characteristic of this decorative style. “The exuberance and fantasy of Art Nouveau is followed by this more classic Art Deco architectural style, displaying rigor and symmetry.“
In Boulogne-sur-Mer, rue Aspirant Leuregans
•
© I. Girardin
–
“SOn the facades appear the bow-windows (or in French oriels), projections framed by pilasters and surmounted by geometric pediments. The straight line and the angles are associated with many ironwork on the doors, balconies. “
Plant and floral motifs are commonly cast or forged on facades. The geometry remains simple, sober often associated with decorative friezes.
Rue Louis Bégué, detail, Roland Derouet
•
© I.Girardin
–
And then the modern world of the interwar period accelerated as Eneline Guette reminds us. “Lcar makes its big entry into the daily life of the French. It will be part of the family and therefore the garage will be integrated into the ground floor of the building, next to the front door, to shelter it!
On the ground floor appears the garage
•
© I. Girardin
–
Many public buildings
Symbol of the thirst for living in the “roaring twenties”, the Art Deco style takes its name from the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts organized in Paris in 1925. Typically French, it becomes a national style, which guides the design of buildings of the Republic.
Schools, town halls, funeral monuments, nothing escapes this artistic movement. Abandoned after the Second World War, it still adorns our monuments and public buildings today.
Detail of the pillars of the Jules Ferry school in Boulogne-sur-Mer
•
© I. Girardin
–
Quickly adopted by foreign nations, Art Deco inspires many architects around the world. In the United States, they will give birth to remarkable buildings, such as the Chrysler Building in New York (1930) or the Empire State Building (1931).
Art Deco remains as a style which closely combines the design of a building, interior decoration and fashion. Many couturiers, bankers, collectors and industrialists called on architects and cabinetmakers of the time to furnish their offices and villas.
