3:56 PM
Adam
It was common practice for architects in Paris in the 19th century to sign and date their constructions, but few have been so obviously dated than the house that was made for the artist Charles Wislin. Built in a Flemish style, the date of construction, 1891, is displayed in chunky figures across the gables. Elsewhere, large stone 'W's have also been incorporated into the design, thus showing clearly who the house belonged to!
Wislin had inherited a fortune from his father, a chemist and inventor of a special kind of medicinal paper called the ‘Wlinsi’. Although he was a prize winning artist, time has not been favourable to him, and little trace remains today of his creations. He did though leave behind this interesting house, a not unattractive mixture of stone and brick, albeit in a rather incongruous style. Being taller than accepted levels, Wislin needed special permission to build his chosen design (which also originally included a bell-tower!), permission that was given as it was agreed that the house had artistic qualities and had not been built for speculative reasons.
The building today houses rehearsal rooms for musicians and a recording studio.
For more details on this story, see this previous post I made on the man and the building.
Address: 28 Rue Ballu, 75009
Architect: Gaston Dézermaux
Year of construction: 1891!
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1 comments:
Love the numbers on this one: both imposing and whimsical at the same time. They really stand out above the tiny top window.
Great find. I loved your previous post on this building as well. Great detective work, and yes, knowing more information only adds to the mystery.
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