Villa Lavaurs, 19th century villa in Center district, Fontainebleau, France.
Villa Lavaurs is a two-part building at the northwest end of Rue Saint-Honoré. The lower left wing has a cream facade banded in red brick, a grey slate roof with dormers, and three storeys above a stone base. The taller right section has a steep slate roof with a small central spire, decorative dormers, and a stone stair with balustrade leading to a dark wooden double door.
The property was built in 1897 by Count Raymond Lavaurs on the site of a former hotel. Over the decades it served multiple purposes, including as an art museum and a library for contemporary music.
Countess Lavaurs held a carnival in the unfinished villa, reported by Le Gaulois on 26 February 1895, before the building was complete. The house was designed mainly for large receptions, and the family came from the Château de Sorques, about ten kilometres away, to oversee the works.
The location is in Fontainebleau's center and easily accessible on foot with clear street signage. Visitors should note that access and hours may vary depending on the building's current use and any ongoing renovations.
The villa was built around 1897 for Count Raymond Lavaurs, a founder and first president of the Fontainebleau golf club and head of the Peñarroya company. Before the building was finished, his wife held a carnival there, reported by Le Gaulois on 26 February 1895. In December 2017 a Paris firm bought the villa, the caretaker's house and 2,000 m² of land for 1,770,000 euros to create about fifteen flats.
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