Nice - L'Escurial
- department: Alpes-Maritimes
- municipality: Nice
- naming: L'Escurial
- address : 25-29 Alphonse Karr Street
- cadastral references: 0LA 293
- Author: Léonard Varthaliti (architect)
- date: 1935
- protection: unprotected building
- label patrimoine XXe: Commission régionale du patrimoine et des sites (CRPS) du 2 December 2015
The original Escurial programme included a report building, a shopping mall and one of the largest cinemas in Europe (now a supermarket).
The situation in the city centre, on a corner of streets, with a beautiful distance and a wide visibility, led the architect to favour a massive construction typical of the emphasis of public buildings of the 1930s, without presenting the incisive sobriety. The thick writing, in its profiles and textures, contributes in part to the prestige of the building. The retreat due to the urban situation of the building allows to see the last three levels in steps, crowned by a small circular kiosk, and the imposing elevator shaft that closes vertically the composition on the street Alphonse Karr.
Few works are known of Léonard Varthaliti (1881-1966), an architect of Greek origin, who was the collaborator of Kevork Arsenian (1898-1980) when he arrived in France. Noticed as early as 1926 with the Grand Palais in Golfe-Juan, this architect insisted on the monumental character of his architectural projects, town plans, etc.
At the Escurial, the freedom of plastic and geometric association between the contrasting volumes of the room and the cell floors is favored by a construction favouring minimal reinforcement and thin partitions, a process familiar to Varthaliti. The pole structure is very present on the plans and on the cuts. The ground floor and the mezzanine attached to it are covered with travertine veneer. This system, which is infrequent in Nice and has often produced problematic results, is here fairly well preserved. This confirms the architect’s assessment of technical competence mentioned above regarding structures. The other floors are covered with an unusual mixture that mimics almost travertine in terms of grain and colour, but not in terms of brightness. It seems that the architect sought an overall harmony but without wanting to play on a real unity, which would have been false.
- Editor: Michel Steve (City of Nice).
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