My allergy doctor's office is in the 16th arrondissement, on Place de Barcelone. The 16th arr. is a quiet, upscale residential area and the only time I ever go there is when I am invited to someone's house or for an appointment, so I don't know it very well. My doctor mentioned there was a series of Hector Guimard apartment buildings close to his office on the rue de la Jean Fontaine that would probably interest me because of what I write about on my blog.
Hector Guimard was a prominent architect in the early 1900s and best known as the one of leading designers of Art Nouveau architecture in Paris. One of his most commonly known designs was the original Paris metro entrances.
I walked down the rue de la Fontaine, with my new camera in tow, a Sony Cybershot DSC-HX200 with a Carl Zeiss lens. (Please let me know how you like the photos with the new camera). I started to recognize the buildings at # 14, 17,19, 21, and 60. They had the classic Art Nouveau elements I love including the ornate wrought iron on the balconies crafted into unusual shapes and stonework with luxurious cascading.
The piece de la resistance was Castel Beranger, an apartment building at #14, Guimard's most recognized masterpiece, which also made him famous. To begin with, this stunner has one of the most fabulous Paris doors I have ever seen (top photo). I was going to save it for my next Door of the Month but decided not tease you and make you wait till the end of July. I adore the color combo of the copper and aqua blue and the way the metal is twisted. I was also lucky enough to gain access to the lobby when the kindly concierge let me in. As you can see in the photos below, the detail work throughout the entire structure is gorgeous.
As popular as Guimard became after Castel Beranger and receiving many more commissions, he fell out of favor with the press and was forgotten for many years. Unfortunately, many of his works were destroyed after he died in 1942 and only two of his metro entrances remain. He moved to New York in 1938 to escape the rising pre-war anti-Semitism in France. In the 1960s he was rediscovered by architecture scholars who analyzed his work in depth.
Take a stroll on the rue de la Jean Fontaine and discover the architectural gems of Hector Guimard.
14 ,17,19, 21, and 60 rue de la Jean Fontaine, 75016
Metro: Jasmin or Mirabeau
Marie Léonide Charvin aka Agar, was a famous French actress in the late 1800s
The photos below are from Castel Beranger
In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New Yorkís best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!
Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris. www.eyepreferparistours.com
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
Nice pics, Richard!
However, it would be nice if the clickable pics are larger so that we can see how much sharper your new camera is :)
Posted by: Jeff - too far from Paris | July 11, 2012 at 08:40 AM
NIce shots, but I think its the photographer, not the camera, that matters most! I used to stay in the 16th when I was a student...Rue Marietta Martin near metro LA Muette. I sublet one room in an apartment that some graduate sudents had rented from an elderly lady who lived in the other half. It was an odd situation, but it worked OK. There was a lovely bakery on the corner near the metro that was called La Flute Enchantee (Avenue Mozart, I think). It sold lovely breads and delicious little pastries. I has very little $$$ so pastries were a special treat. There was also an elegant cafe that sold oysters and mussels and great looking seafood displayed on ice outdoors. That was so far out of my reach that I only walked by and looked. I remember the light filtering through the trees on a sunny day made me think it all looked like a Renoir painting.
Posted by: Anne | July 11, 2012 at 02:21 PM
Richard,
I LOVE, love, love these pictures! What a wonderful recommendation from your doctor! You've added one more place for my To Do List for the next trip. And that gift of pursuasion you have served you well with the concierge!!!
Posted by: Cheryl | July 11, 2012 at 03:41 PM
Beautiful!
Posted by: Tonja Conway (@TonjaC) | July 11, 2012 at 10:18 PM
Amazing….I have never seen these….will have to find when I am in Paris next…..totally, Guimard…..even a whiplash on the blue porte!!!
Posted by: Maureen | July 13, 2012 at 12:56 PM
Love the new camera! And especially love "this" Eye Prefer Paris blog spot dedicated to the genius of Hector Guimard - not too many people, certainly Americans, aware of this genius! Thank you for illumiating his artistry on your blog today!!!
Posted by: Bill | July 13, 2012 at 12:56 PM
Great photos!
Posted by: Marcia | July 13, 2012 at 12:57 PM
What camera were you using before? Maybe it's the subject matter -- or what looks in some of the pix to be a brighter sunny day than can sometimes be usual in Paris in the summer -- but it looks like you have a lot more crispness in some of the shots, even zoomed in.
That said, I haven't seen a bad picture...that's due to your eye, not a particular camera.
Posted by: Carolyn | July 14, 2012 at 09:22 AM
Such great clarity, thank you so much...
I am a language teacher and such material is great for demonstrating cultural aspects.
I currently live in Oz, so finding gems like this is a great pleasure for me and others.
Thanks again
Posted by: elaine flynn | January 21, 2013 at 09:18 AM