Hôtel des Postes
Monument
Hôtel des Postes, located in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage (Pas-de-Calais), is a modern edifice built in the 19th-20th centuries. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Modern (19th-20th century)
- Location
- Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 50.5225, 1.5842
- Mérimée Reference
- PA62000012
An Art Deco jewel in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, the Hôtel des Postes (1927) fascinates visitors with its Desvres ceramics and monumental hall - a prestigious work of art listed as a Historic Monument.
History
In the heart of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, an elite seaside resort on the Côte d'Opale, the Hôtel des Postes is one of the most eloquent examples of Art Deco architecture in northern France. Inaugurated in 1927, it immediately established itself as a prestigious public facility, befitting a town that, in the inter-war period, rivalled Europe's leading resorts in boldness and elegance. What makes this building truly unique is the exceptional quality of its interior décor. The central hall is clad in ceramics produced by the workshops of Desvres, a Pas-de-Calais factory renowned since the 18th century for the excellence of its earthenware. These coverings, with their geometric and floral motifs characteristic of the Art Deco vocabulary, create an atmosphere that is both functional and sumptuous, transforming a simple postal service into a veritable civil monument. The building was designed by the architect Boissel, winner of the competition launched by the municipality in 1925. Built on the site of Le Touquet's former church, it perfectly embodies the modernist and conquering spirit of a rapidly expanding town, which intended to provide its public facilities with architecture as meticulous as its private villas and luxury hotels. The experience of visiting the post office is one of surprise and wonder: to push open the door is to enter an interior from the Roaring Twenties frozen in its original décor. The coloured earthenware tiles, the sober, assertive lines and the generous volumes of the hall irresistibly evoke the triumphant aesthetic of the 1925 Decorative Arts exhibition. It's an unusual and free stop-off as you stroll through the station. Located in the central urban fabric of Le Touquet, close to tree-lined avenues, Belle Époque villas and the resort's shops, the Hôtel des Postes is part of a coherent architectural ensemble that makes Le Touquet-Paris-Plage one of the best-preserved seaside resorts on the French Atlantic coast.
Architecture
The Hôtel des Postes in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage is representative of the Art Deco style applied to French public architecture between the wars. The composition of the facade, sober and geometric, adopts the codes of the triumphant style: straight lines, slight horizontal projections, a slightly accentuated central bay and restrained but expressive sculpted decoration. The masonry, probably rendered brick in keeping with the building tradition of the northern coast, is treated with a rigour that contrasts pleasantly with the ornamental fantasies of the surrounding villas. The interior is the real centrepiece of the building. The main hall, designed to welcome a large audience in conditions of comfort and elegance, is entirely clad in ceramics produced by the Desvres factory. These earthenware tiles in warm colours and geometric or stylised motifs - flowers, Grecians, interlacing - cover the floors, panelling and perhaps some of the fixed furniture, creating a coherent whole of rare craftsmanship. This type of ceramic decorative scheme is typical of the major public facilities of the 1920s and 1930s, in the tradition of the station halls and administrative buildings of the same period. The stained-glass windows by Gaétan Jeannin, which have now disappeared, were intended to add an extra dimension of light to this well-kept interior, filtering natural light through compositions that were probably geometric and colourful, in perfect harmony with the ceramic decoration.
Related Figures
Boissel — architecte lauréat du concours de 1925, concepteur du bâtimentGaétan Jeannin — verrier auteur des vitraux aujourd'hui disparusAlphonse Daloz — fondateur du Touquet-Paris-Plage (1882), initiateur du développement de la stationLes maîtres faïenciers des ateliers de Desvres — artisans des céramiques décoratives du hall
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hôtel des Postes located?
Hôtel des Postes is located in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, Pas-de-Calais department, Hauts-de-France region, France.
When was Hôtel des Postes built?
Hôtel des Postes dates back to a period built in the modern era (19th-20th century).
Is Hôtel des Postes open to visitors?
Hôtel des Postes is currently closed to visitors.