Built in 1636 by Gabriel de Barthélémy de Gramont, Baron de Lanta (1594-1652), lawyer at the Parliament of Toulouse, considerably enlarged by the Mas family around 1880, the Château de Montlaur testifies to the fabulous prosperity of the Languedoc wine growing when Edouard Niermans (1859-1928) the famous architect of the Café Society , the forerunner of the Jet Set, acquired it in 1921 by the most curious of coincidences. An unusual story.
Above, the Edouard Niermans's office in the Chateau de Montlaur circa 1930
The richness of the work of Edouard Niermans and the eclecticism of his style linked to the requirements of his commissioners place this outstanding architect among the great organizers of the architectural pleasures of what was later called the "Belle Epoque" . "With Niermans, the architecture of the 19th century became inspiring and smiled" wrote the historian Bruno Foucart.
Nothing predestined this architect, courted by the establishment to settle as a winegrower in the small village of Val de Dagne, a few kilometres from the Cité de Carcassonne which had just been revived by Viollet-le-Duc
"Born in Holland by an error of nature", as a columnist in the Gil Blas humorously wrote, Edouard Niermans settled in Nice in 1909, where his brilliant career led him. He has an impressive track record with - among others - the Negresco palace in NIce, the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz, the Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo, Chatel Guyon theatre as well the Brasserie Mollard, the Moulin Rouge, the Casino de Paris, the Folies Bergères, the Capucines, l'Elysée Montmartre , le théâtre Marigny in Paris where he built thirty-two theatres.
Friend of Auguste Renoir, Théo Van Gogh - Vincent's brother -, the poster artist Jules Chéret, the painter Félix Ziem and the architect Charles Garnier, Edouard Niermans married Louise Marie-Héloïse Dewachter (1871-1963), a beautiful young belgian woman of 24, in 1895. She was the sister of the post-impressionist painter Isidore Louis Dewachter(1872-1946) known as Louis Dewis , Louise Marie-Héloïse was the heiress of the Dewachter chain shops, the flagship of which was the one on rue Sainte-Catherine in Bordeaux. They had two sons, Jean and Edouard and a daughter, Hélène.
Below, from left to right, Hélène, Jean and Edouard
Louise Marie-Héloïse Dewachter (1871-1963), sister of the post-impressionist painter Isidore Louis Dewachter (1872-1946) known as Louis Dewis, married the architect Edouard Niermans in 1895.
Portrait circa 1900 signed Paul Gervais.
For the architect, an unexpected adventure begins that will change the course of his life. Gradually handing over the reins of his architectural firm to his sons Jean and Édouard, both architects who would work under the name of "Les frères Niermans" , the tireless builder became passionate about viticulture. He immersed himself in oenology treaties, built concrete vats, brought steel dumpers on jacks from Algeria, planted and modernized the vineyard. At the entrance of the property, the immense cellar guarded by two stone pillars surmounted by two barrels still testifies to the past importance of the estate.
Under the impulse of the new owner, the domain takes its breath back. But soon illness caught up with Edouard Niermans, who died on October 19, 1928 at the Château de Montlaur where he spent the last years of his life.
Today the Domaine de Montlaur is the property of Edouard Niermans' grandchildren.
Read: Edouard Niermans, architect of the Cafe Society, by Jean-François Pinchon, introduction by Bruno Foucart. 335 pages. Mardaga edition.
Edouard Niermans and his children
The villa des Eucalyptus in Nice.
Around 1910, on the routes du Midi