26 rue Vavin, Historical residential building in Quartier Notre-Dame-des-Champs, France.
The residential building at 26 rue Vavin is a seven-story structure with a white ceramic tile facade and stepped terraces on each level. This stepped design allows each apartment to have access to outdoor space and direct natural light.
Architects Henri Sauvage and Charles Sarazin built this structure between 1912 and 1914 as Paris's first stepped-design residence. The innovation addressed the need for better living conditions in urban apartments and became influential in residential architecture.
This residence reflects the cosmopolitan spirit that shaped Paris in the early 1900s. Its role as a gathering place for visiting American students shows how the city welcomed people from different backgrounds during this era.
The building is easily visible from the street, where you can observe its distinctive stepped facade from the sidewalk. The architectural differences from surrounding structures become apparent when viewing it from street level.
The building received patent protection for its innovative stepped design, a rare distinction for architecture at that time. This legal recognition underscores how novel the solution was for addressing urban housing needs.
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