Maisons sans escalier

Maisons sans escalier is a residential complex in Saint-Étienne with two buildings connected by a single continuous spiral ramp that serves all residents instead of using stairs. About 35 apartments are spread across the floors and linked through this innovative circulation system.

Architect Auguste Bossu designed these two residential buildings between 1933 and 1939 on Boulevard Daguerre as a response to housing shortages in the interwar years. The project represented an experimental approach to modern residential living during that period.

The buildings show how architects in the 1930s tried new ideas to make daily life easier for residents. You can see how this creative thinking shaped the way apartments were designed and how people moved through their homes.

These buildings are located in Saint-Étienne's center and are registered as historical monuments. A daytime visit works best to see how the spiral ramp system flows through the structure and to appreciate the building's design from different angles.

The name comes from the Bizillon cabaret that once stood on this site before the buildings were constructed in the early 1930s. This link to the location's entertainment past remains largely unknown to visitors today.