Casino municipal
MonumentHidden Treasure
Casino municipal, located in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.5269, 5.4441
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00135616
Fleuron disparu du thermalisme aixois des années folles, l'ancien Casino municipal d'Aix-en-Provence incarnait l'alliance du béton armé, de l'Art Déco et de l'âme provençale — un palais du jeu et du plaisir aujourd'hui démoli.
History
Aix-en-Provence, a city of water and culture, had one last great spa dream between the wars: the construction of a municipal casino designed to revive the prestige of its thermal baths and attract a cosmopolitan clientele in search of refined entertainment. Inaugurated in 1923, the building was part of an ambitious urban project combining hotel-palace, landscaped park and spa - a constellation of leisure activities worthy of the great seaside resorts of the Côte d'Azur or the European spa towns. What made this casino unique was the superimposition of two aesthetics from different eras. The original structure, in reinforced concrete clad in staff, proudly displayed the geometric motifs and trompe-l'œil marble pilasters typical of the triumphant Art Deco of the 1920s. Then, in the particular context of 1942, architect Courrèges undertook a metamorphosis of the interior décor, replacing jazzy modernity with a neo-Provençal style more rooted in regional tradition - two layers of history superimposed like an architectural palimpsest. The artistic soul of the place was crystallised around a monumental fireplace adorned with a bas-relief by the sculptor Botinelly: a frieze of Provençal dancers whose lively movement seemed to make the Crau tambourines resonate in the hushed rooms of the game. This sculpted detail, of rare plastic quality, testified to the cultural ambitions that presided over the design of the building. Sadly, the casino suffered the same fate as many 20th-century leisure facilities: gradually abandoned from 1993 onwards, then disused in 2002, it was demolished between April and May 2003. Only the decorative elements left before the demolition remain as witnesses to a vanished world. Today, this absent monument haunts the heritage memory of Aix-en-Provence, reminding us just how crucial the protection of twentieth-century heritage remains for future generations.
Architecture
The Casino municipal d'Aix-en-Provence illustrated the modern construction style of the 1920s with its reinforced concrete post-and-beam framework, a structural system that freed the façades from any load-bearing constraints and allowed flexible, light-filled interior layouts. This rational framework was concealed behind staff cladding - a mixture of plaster and moulded fibrous materials - which allowed for fine, abundant ornamentation at lower cost, characteristic of the major leisure facilities of the inter-war period. In its original version of the 1920s, the interior decoration was fully in keeping with the Art Deco vocabulary: stylised geometric motifs, symmetry, trompe-l'œil pilasters imitating precious marble, smooth surfaces punctuated by subdued relief. This formal language, both luxurious and modern, was perfectly suited to a venue designed for a bourgeois, cosmopolitan clientele in search of contemporary elegance. The 1942 redesign by architect Courrèges replaced this international aesthetic with a neo-Provençal style: whitewashed renderings evoking regional farmhouses, floral and folkloric motifs, and references to the decorative arts of the Midi. The fireplace sculpted by Botinelly, with its frieze of expressive, rhythmically modelled Provençal dancers, was the artistic focal point of this recomposed interior, testifying to a desire for cultural roots in Mediterranean tradition.
Related Figures
Roger Barreau — architecte parisien de la Société Immobilière, directeur des travaux de construction (1922-1923)Courrèges — architecte auteur de la refonte décorative néo-provençale en 1942Joseph Botinelly — sculpteur marseillais, auteur du bas-relief de danseurs provençaux ornant la cheminée principaleLa Société Immobilière — maître d'ouvrage du grand projet thermal et récréatif aixois des années 1920
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Casino municipal located?
Casino municipal is located in Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
Is Casino municipal open to visitors?
Casino municipal is currently closed to visitors.
