Two remarkable buildings on the boulevard Jeu du Ballon

The boulevard Jeu du Ballon runs immediately outside what were once the town walls of Grasse. It's part of the route Napoleon, precisely because he didn't enter the town itself: he was afraid he might be detained by the local authorities if he did. Today it's a main thoroughfare (unfortunately for large trucks carrying stone as well as for cars), but it contains at least two remarkable facades.

6 Jeu de Ballon

What is now a branch of Credit Agricole was once the Municipal Theatre. The underlying site is that of the town’s Augustinian convent which fell into municipal hands at the Revolution. Rue des Augustins runs behind it, accessible via the steps of the traverse de Théatre.

It's easy not to give it a second glance but in fact it's an example of early 1930s modernist architecture in the unlikely location of a small town like Grasse. Somehow, in 1928, the town fathers persuaded Robert Mallet-Stevens, one of the most eminent architects of his day, to design a replacement for their theatre.

Robert Mallet-Stevens

Mallet-Stevens, who despite his name was French, was a modernist architect spoken of almost in the same breath as Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe. Indeed he is said to have competed with them to design probably his most famous building, the Villa Noailles in Hyeres, built for the socialites and art patrons Charles and Marie-Laure Noailles. His archive was destroyed on his own instructions at his death, which some say is why he receded into obscurity, but an exhibition in his name took place at the Centre Pompidou in Paris in 2005 and he’s now regarded as an important figure in architecture.

Mallet-Stevens was based in Paris and almost never took on public projects: his normal clientele of rich private owners must have been much more lucrative!

Rue Mallet-Stevens in Paris (16th arondissement) contains several of his modernist mansions, and he designed a country villa to the north west of Paris for Paul Poiret, the Parisian couturier who originated the association of costume designers with branded perfume.

Given his background, agenda and aesthetic (see here for example), it seems quite extraordinary that he designed Grasse's theatre, and many summaries of his work simply omit it. Possibly his association with the Noailles may have had something to do with it – Marie-Laure Noailles was brought up at the since-demolished Villa Croisset on av Victoria, while Charles lived mostly in Grasse after her death in 1970.

With bank branch closures happening all over France (and Europe for that matter), one hopes that the building will somehow survive in the long term.

15 Jeu du Ballon

Almost facing no. 6 is an even more easily missed building with a highly decorative Art Nouveau facade, above a nondescript bar/cafe at no. 15.

It was originally the Officers Club of 23rd Bataillon des Chasseurs Alpins ('Alpine Hunters'). After that it was used by a drinks wholesaler, while today it hides the Studio Cinema.

The Chasseurs Alpins

Grasse, despite its position near the border of France until 1860, was never a garrison town. As late as 1847, the municipal authorities tried to persuade the government to station 600 troops here, but no suitable accommodation could be found. It was only in 1873 that the government, under an army man, Marshall MacMahon, decided that the south eastern border of France needed better defenses against the recently united Italy. A 'mountain corps' of Chasseurs Alpins was created, with battalions based in various towns, including Grenoble, Chambéry, Annecy and Nice. A new Caserne (barracks) was completed in Grasse in 1888 and occupied by the 23rd Chasseurs Alpins.

There are several peacetime postcards celebrating the battalion (such as this one) which surely show they were popular in the town.

They went to war in 1914, and were in Alsace in 1917 as a photograph here shows. They were disbanded in 1940, but they are commemorated by the name of the roundabout as you enter Grasse from the Cannes direction.

The site of the barracks is today known as Caserne Kellermann and is still partially occupied by the gendarmerie. It’s on the heights to the south west at the top of av Sidi Brahim (itself named after a battle during the French conquest of Algeria in 1845). Bd Jeu de Ballon is about a kilometre away, so maybe the officers of the battalion wanted somewhere away from the ‘poilus’ (‘hairies’) whom they commanded.

No. 15 today

The Officers Club doesn’t appear to have operated for long – no doubt there was an officers’ mess at the Caserne itself.

Pediment of the Officers Club

The letters ‘BONNIN’ can be seen on the shield on the pediment, because it was taken over by a drinks seller of that name at some stage, probably well before the first world war.

A sign for ‘Désire Bonnin’ also appears further down the street above 5 rue Thoron, so perhaps number 15 didn’t last long under Bonnin either.

The site is now mostly the Studio Cinema, but the spectacular Officers Club façade remains.

Unlike no. 6, I haven't been able to find any information about its designer, so any information on that would be welcome!