Villa Cavrois, Modernist villa in Croix, France
Villa Cavrois is a residential building in the modern style designed by architect Robert Mallet-Stevens in the town of Croix in northern France. The structure displays smooth yellow brick walls with large rectangular window openings framed by concrete and a flat rooftop terrace spanning the upper floors.
Construction took place between 1929 and 1932 as a commission by a wealthy industrialist from the region who wanted a contemporary family residence. During World War II the Wehrmacht used the building as barracks, which left marks on the interior, before it stood empty in the 1980s and was later acquired by the French state.
The villa is named after Paul Cavrois, a textile industrialist from Roubaix who commissioned it as a family home for his seven children and the household staff. The ground-floor dining rooms were designed to separate family and staff routines, and the house was inaugurated on 5 July 1932 with the wedding of the eldest daughter, Geneviève.
The villa is entered from the north side, where a raised ground floor and a turning staircase with half-landings connect the levels. The upper floor includes one room left unrestored to show the damage from the decades before 2015. The park has original alleys and a water mirror, and a parking area is provided.
The long water basin stretching 72 meters in front of the main facade reflects the yellow brick walls and serves as a central design element for the garden view. The house already featured central heating with control panels in several rooms in the early 1930s, which was exceptionally modern at the time.
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