A Difficult Evolution
From 1940 the German Army requisitioned the Villa. In 1947, at the request of Paul Cavrois, the architect Pierre Barbe made changes to adapt the home to the new lifestyles of the family which now comprised several couples.
After the death of Madame Cavrois in 1986, the furniture was scattered and the house sold to a real estate company which planned to sell off the park in parcels. The villa was abandoned and quickly looted, ransacked and squatted.
In 1990, all of the city and the park are classified as Monument historique by decision of Conseil d'État.
That same year saw the birth of an association to protect and preserve the house. Since its inception the association has lobbied the competent authorities on the fate of the villa.
The State (Ministry of Culture) purchased the building in 2001 and in 2004, restoration work commenced on the exterior (closed and covered terraces, windows ...) and the reinstatement of domestic volumes.
By order of December 18, 2008, the State entrusted villa Cavrois to Centre des monuments nationaux (CMN), with the mission to restore it and open it to the public.
CMN is currently conducting the restoration of the interior spaces and decors (floors, wall coverings, paintwork, furniture), in order to recreate the art of living in the 20th century. CMN has also planned a vast restoration of the park (replantation of trees, restoration of the water mirror and of original alleys, illumination of the park and the villa) and the creation of a car park.
The villa will open to the public progressively, starting in 2013, with a cultural project aiming at making it a national and international reference point for modern architecture and design.
The global amount of works planned by CMN for the opening of villa Cavrois is estimated at 9 million euros.
Read more about this topic: Villa Cavrois
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