Hôtel Majestic, Historical monument in Chamalières, France.
The Pavillon Majestic at 33 avenue de la Gare in Chamalières is a corner building whose green glazed tiles form white-bordered grid patterns across the facade, with white stone or stucco trim around the arched windows and between floors. A dark overhanging roof supported by columns tops the several storeys, and the name "PAVILLON MAJESTIC" appears at the top centre and again on a street-level panel. The green and white shell, signed Edouard Ernest Mizard, was added in 1911-1912 to unite three earlier villas.
Three neo-Louis XIII villas were built between about 1878 and 1888 for Léon Servant, owner of the neighbouring Grand Hôtel; two housed wealthy guests taking the Royat-les-Bains waters, the third was the family's year-round home. In 1911 the Servant family turned the complex into a palace, and architect Edouard Ernest Mizard clad two of the villas in a green and white glazed-brick Art Nouveau facade, finished for the 1912 season. The rooms became private flats in 1949-1950.
The name Majestic comes from the Grand Hôtel & Majestic Palace, the thermal complex to which the pavilion belonged; the sign "PAVILLON MAJESTIC" still appears at the top of the facade and on a street-level panel. The building was the hotel annex of the Grand Hôtel de Royat-les-Bains, open for the 1865 thermal season and closed in 1950. Since 1949-1950 its rooms and suites have been private apartments.
The building stands at 33, avenue de la Gare in Chamalières, on the edge of Royat. Only two of the three original villas received the green and white glazed-tile facade on the avenue; the Villa Servant side keeps its neo-Louis XIII front. The former hotel rooms are private flats since 1949-1950, so the facade is seen from the street.
Only two of the three original villas received the green-and-white Art Nouveau shell on avenue de la Gare; Villa Servant, the owners' private residence, kept its neo-Louis XIII facade on the street side. Its rear facade, visible only from the palace park, was clad in glazed brick to match the former Villas Beau-Site.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,781 contributors worldwide.