A spectacular relic of Grasse's days as a centre for rest-cures

When driving up the main route into Grasse from Cannes and Nice (bd Victor Hugo), a big white edifice well above is squarely in your eyeline: the Villa Helios. The original developers certainly wanted it to be noticed!

But it was once one amongst many, albeit nothing like as spectacular. In Bradshaw’s 1913 Railway Guide (as used by Michael Portillo, of course), the blurb for Grasse says ‘picturesque old town with exquisite views…with a peculiarly mild climate favourable to invalids for whom the sea air is too exciting…’ 

Leaving aside the thought that one has to be pretty far gone to find sea air exciting(!), Grasse from around the turn of the nineteenth century until at least the 1950s developed a reputation as a 'station climatique' as shown on many historic posters, and a location for rest-cures. Some, unfortunately, were terminal. Perhaps the most famous was Edith Piaf, although she actually died of cancer (and probably alcohol and drug abuse) in her villa at Plascassier. Although part of the commune of Grasse, it's really a separate villlage a few kilometres from the old town.

Most of the various older clinics have now disappeared or been replaced by more modern buildings.  But Villa Helios definitely still stands out. High above the town on Traverse de Prado, off the Route Napoleon, it was constructed in the 1920s as a clinic and home for patients with respiratory illnesses.  It had 45 rooms arranged over seven floors and was apparently for males only.

Its more modern history has been rocky. Closed and up for sale since 2010, it was a tempting target for squatters, graffiti artists, looters and others, and for several years the premises looked in a sorry state.

It appears that renewal was for a long time held up by arguments between the town and potential developers about the use to which it could be put, but in 2019 it was finally agreed that it should be re-developed as luxury apartments. Even then, after refurbishment was well under way and several estate agents were featuring the new apartments on their websites, the developers appear to have encountered financial problems and work ceased for a while.

Helios from rear in April 2023 (Google Street View at the time) and today

Now, at last, there are up-to-date details on the developers’ website here (in French, don’t try to use the English version, which at the time of writing doesn’t work). It is showing that eleven of the available 18 apartments have been sold and that the new occupants will be in this year.

A happy ending for an iconic building, one hopes.