We braved constant showers to venture to the 6th Arr. to the Foundation Le Corbusier at Square du Docteur Blanche to visit the Maison La Roche, another of Le Corbusier's houses that is open to the public. This one owned by the Foundation.
We were lucky enough to arrive just in time for a guided tour, led by one of the Foundation's staff.
Built in 1925, when Le Corbusier was 36, Maison La Roche and Maison Jeanneret are two completely separate and very different houses, joined by a party wall. Maison Jeanneret was built for Le Corbusier's brother as a family home and is now the home of the Le Corbusier Foundation. Maison La Roche was built for a wealthy bachelor, Raoul La Roche, who was an art collector.
"Faced with the challenge of squeezing twin houses and an exhibition gallery into a cramped plot of land - the difficult site, at the end of a cul de sac, was further complicated by a north facing aspect and restrictive neighbourhood regulations - the architect was forced to work wonders of ingenuity."
The northern window (equivalent to our gentle southern light) that runs the length of the art gallery.
The gallery forms the roof of the triple carport. Here I am checking out the new garden plantings along the rear boundary wall after a large tree in a neighbour's garden had been removed.
Although the double and treble height spaces in the house were amazing and beautiful and similar to what we are used to today, we were both surprised to be reminded of the "normal" size of bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens and dining rooms.
The roof terrace, another of Le Corbusier's trade marks along with double height public spaces, square set corners, a controlled palette of colour, right angles and curves, and his own furniture.
And this was 1925. No wonder he was considered the father of modern architecture in France.
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