The seaside lifestyle was invented in the 1730s on the English coast after the bourgeoisie and aristocrats became wealthy with the Industrial Revolution. This was the era of summer towns on the English Channel and the North Sea, until the “pleasure trains” linking the capitals to new destinations from 1850 onwards invented a new form of holiday tourism on all coasts, particularly the French. Nice thus became Europe’s first winter resort.

Birth of the Côte d’Azur and its legend

However, it wasn’t until 1887 that French writer and poet Stéphen Liégeard coined the term “Côte d’Azur” to replace “Riviera” and circumscribe a territory stretching from La Ciotat to Menton. At the time, the main focus was on the construction of palaces and villas. But this appropriation of the Mediterranean coastline, and later the democratization of tourism for all in the 1950s, transformed the Côte d’Azur into a land of experimentation where the greatest names in modern architecture rubbed shoulders: Rob Mallet-Stevens, Eileen Gray, Jean Prouvé and Le Corbusier…

When top architects invest in the Côte d’Azur

In fact, one of the greatest architects of the early 20th century, Le Corbusier, drew inspiration for his work from the Roquebrune-Cap-Martin area, a place he had fallen madly in love with. Among the most famous is the cabanon, a construction imagined at the beginning of the 20th century. It is certainly the most famous cabanon in the world. Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris was born on October 6, 1887. Architect, urban planner, decorator, painter and sculptor, he is one of the leading exponents of the modern movement. It was in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin that Le Corbusier’s creativity completely evolved. He created the Modulor concept and a unique cabanon measuring 3.66 m by 2.26 m. Today, the site is part of the Conservatoire du Littoral to remain in the public domain. At the age of 77, Le Corbusier dies of a heart attack while swimming in front of his cabanon. The Roquebrune-Cap-Martin site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sources:

ESPACES CONTEMPORAINS – “Côte d’Azur, balade architecturale” 09/08/2017 by Maxime Pegatoquet
FRANCE3 REGIONS – “Roquebrune-Cap-Martin : la tranche de vie d’un architecte de génie” 20/02/2019 by Véronique Lupo