GUIMARD, Hector
(b. 1867, Lyon, d. 1942, New York City)

Castel Béranger: exterior view

1895-98
Photo
14, rue de la Fontaine, Paris

The Castel Béranger is a residential building located at 14 rue de la Fontaine in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. It was designed by the architect Hector Guimard and built between 1895 and 1898. It was the first residence in Paris built in the style known as Art Nouveau.

The influence of Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc is evident in Guimard's early works, which culminated in the Castel Béranger block of flats, where his first use of the Art Nouveau style appeared in its decorative elements. After seeing Victor Horta's Hôtel Tassel in Brussels in 1895, Guimard changed the original neo-Gothic decorative elements of the Castel Béranger. He introduced a colourful mixture of facing materials and organically derived embellishments, based on his belief that decoration is more effective for being non-representational.

Guimard began designing the Castel Béranger in 1895, and he became involved in every detail of the project: the furniture, ornamental ironwork, carpets, glass, wallpaper, door locks and doorknobs.

The photo shows the façade of Castel Béranger.