Maison
Monument
Maison, located in Dunkerque (Nord), 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
- Dunkerque, Nord, Hauts-de-France
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 51.0377, 2.3927
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00107513
An unusual gem in Dunkirk’s Excentric district, this reinforced concrete house with its scaly eaves is a testament to the self-taught genius of François Reynaert, a visionary artist-entrepreneur of the 1930s.
History
In the streets of Rosendaël, a historic district of Dunkirk, stands a detached house that stands out for its decidedly unique character. Part of the famous development known as the ‘Excentric district’, it bears witness to an architectural adventure unique in France: that of a man, François Reynaert, who decided to build his own world, outside any academic framework, in the manner of an artist transforming the city into a work of art. What immediately strikes the visitor is the silhouette of the eaves, sculpted into three superimposed platforms evoking the scales of a reptile or a fish. This detail, far from being merely anecdotal, encapsulates Reynaert’s entire philosophy: rejecting uniformity, imposing a strong visual identity on every façade, and using reinforced concrete as a medium for expression as much as for construction. In a modernist style tinged with Art Deco and popular fantasy, the house engages with its neighbours whilst asserting its own personality. Visiting this house is to immerse oneself in the history of a ‘manifesto’ neighbourhood, conceived as a laboratory of ideas between the two world wars. The attentive visitor discovers in every nook and cranny—the curve of a cornice, the interplay of volumes, the moulded concrete ornamentation—the hand of a creator who never allowed himself to be confined to a single discipline. Interior designer, inventor, entrepreneur: Reynaert was all of these at once, and this house is the most tangible embodiment of that. The urban setting of Rosendaël, with its quiet residential streets just a stone’s throw from the North Sea, provides an unexpected backdrop to this listed complex. The low-angled light of the Flemish coast reveals the roof’s scaly relief with particular clarity, transforming a simple façade into a living sculpture. A monument to be explored on foot, sketchbook or camera in hand.
Architecture
Built from reinforced concrete, this house embodies a visual approach to modernism infused with a touch of folk ingenuity, characteristic of François Reynaert’s work. Its façade, punctuated by simple, functional volumes, is distinguished above all by its spectacular eaves: three superimposed horizontal platforms, cast in concrete and shaped like scales, create a striking effect of lightness and movement. This motif, inspired by both nature and the sea, is reminiscent of fish or reptile scales and gives the house a visual identity that is instantly recognisable within the urban fabric of Rosendaël. The use of reinforced concrete, a material then associated with major infrastructure and industrial buildings, illustrates Reynaert’s technical ambition. He mastered the formwork and casting with artisanal precision, managing to produce ornamentation of unexpected finesse for such a raw material. The smooth surfaces of the façade contrast with the protruding reliefs of the roof, creating a dialogue between structural rigour and decorative whimsy. The overall composition of the house follows the tradition of Flemish bourgeois houses — compact volume, street-facing layout — whilst subverting it through its resolutely modern formal choices. The entire Excentric neighbourhood, of which this house is a part, can be likened to the self-taught or vernacular modernist architectural experiments that flourished in Europe during the interwar period, halfway between Art Deco, expressive regionalism and scholarly naïve architecture.
Related Figures
François Reynaert — natif de Rosendaël, artiste décorateur, inventeur et entrepreneur, maître d'œuvre autodidacte de l'ensemble du quartier ExcentricLes habitants successifs de la maison — garants de la préservation du bâti entre sa construction et sa protection en 1988Les architectes des Bâtiments de France (DRAC Nord-Pas-de-Calais) — acteurs de la reconnaissance et du suivi patrimonial depuis l'inscription MH de 1988
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison located?
Maison is located in Dunkerque, Nord department, Hauts-de-France region, France.
When was Maison built?
Maison dates back to a period built in the modern era (19th-20th century).
Is Maison open to visitors?
Maison is currently closed to visitors.