La Demeure Historique

Support a *Monument historique*** (National Historic Landmark in USA) **with the restoration of the Roof terrace of Villa Trapenard : Villa Trapenard was designed by architect Robert Mallet-Stevens for his friend Jacques Trapenard, doctor of law and letters, his wife Marthe, and their daughter Jacqueline. A major figure in French architecture of the interwar period, Mallet-Stevens was one of the founders, in 1929, and the first president of the Union des Artistes Modernes (UAM), which brought together avant-garde decorative artists and architects. The Villa is situated opposite the main entrance to the Parc de Sceaux and its orangery, in a neighbourhood whose avant-garde architectural tradition dates back to the work of André Le Nôtre and Jules Hardouin-Mansart for Jean-Baptiste Colbert, first minister to Louis XIV. Built on a modest budget under the Loucheur Act, which aimed to encourage the construction of housing in the outer Paris suburbs, it fits within the new garden-city-inspired residential district created on the former estate of the Duc de Trévise, purchased by the Département de la Seine in 1923. This development would go on to house works by many celebrated twentieth-century architects: Auguste Perret, Pol Abram, André Lurçat, Paul Nelson, and Jean Willerval, among others. The Villa has had three successive owners since 1932, including its original patrons Jacques and Marthe Trapenard, and the Simpson-Meyer family, who currently live there and who secured its listing (monument historique ) in 2024. Much of the building's value lies in its authenticity: it has undergone no alterations since its construction, unlike most of Mallet-Stevens' other works. The Villa occupies an important place in the history of European modernist architecture: through its functional radicalism, it aligns Mallet-Stevens (1886–1945) with his contemporaries Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Van Doesburg. His last private house, and his most modest commission, it stands in sharp contrast to his work for wealthy clients. It can be read as a manifesto for the social housing that Mallet-Stevens never had the opportunity to develop after the Second World War, fully embracing modernist functionality and the interplay of light and shadow. The house features a cubist plan of 150 m² drawing on the vocabulary of the Modern Movement — pilotis, ribbon windows, flat roof terrace, cantilevered canopies and exterior staircase, portholes and long linear walkway. Its urban configuration typical of the period: ground floor dedicated to service spaces, a raised upper floor reserved for living quarters and orientation towards street and public park. Among its notable features: two iconic staircases, a light-filled living room with mosaic parquet flooring, double-sash metal window frames, polished concrete and stoneware floors, and original light fittings. The building, acclaimed as early as 1932 by the journals L'Architecte and Architecture d'Aujourd'hui , was listed with regional significance in 2005 following the Centre Pompidou's retrospective on Mallet-Stevens, before gaining national listing in 2024 (interior, exterior, plot and street gate), reflecting a growing recognition of twentieth-century architecture in France. Current plans : the restoration of the Villa Trapenard The aim is to restore Villa Trapenard as closely as possible to its original condition. While the building's structure has not undergone major modifications, the interior has been altered over the decades — suspended ceilings, carpeting, modified light fittings, changes to the original colours and façade cladding, removal of a fireplace, greening of the roof terrace, replacement of door handles, bathroom fittings, shutters, and so on. Some of these elements have already been restored in recent years. To guide this work, the current owners have carried out extensive research through contact with their predecessors, as well as in the archives of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the City of Sceaux, and the Hauts-de-Seine Département. Descendants of the Trapenard family were located, making it possible to gather photographs from the 1930s showing the first occupants in the house and garden as they originally were designed. Public opening and awareness of neurodiversity Villa Trapenard has never been systematically open to the public since its construction. The Simpson-Meyer family, driven by a deep commitment to heritage, wishes to make this unique work by Mallet-Stevens known to the public through: — The creation of a reception space The garage located in the garden, built in the 1950s (after the villa, and therefore not attributable to Mallet-Stevens) will be converted into a reception facility open to the public and accessible to people with reduced mobility. This space will be used for educational and cultural activities linked to research on the landmark. — The restoration and transformation of the garden The swimming pool installed in the 1990s will be removed in order to restore the original landscaping designed by Mallet-Stevens. Within this restored layout, a sensory garden will be created, forming the centrepiece of the area to be open to the public. This sensory garden will serve as the setting for an awareness-raising initiative focused on cognitive disorders in children — a cause of particular personal importance to the owners. These conditions, still largely unknown to the general public, affect millions of children worldwide. Their invisibility leads to delayed diagnosis and care, as well as stigmatisation of the children who suffer from them. It also contributes to an underestimation of the need for individual support — adapted tutoring, speech therapy, psychomotor therapy, and psychological support — upon which the quality of life of these children depends. Restoration works The interventions concern the house and its garden and are organised into four components: Restoration of the building envelope (flat roof terrace, façades, metal joinery) Recreation of the original garden layout as drawn by Robert Mallet-Stevens in 1932 (removal of the pool, built at a later date) Conversion of the garage into a public reception space Restoration and redesign of the garden The priority works identified (first component) concern the restoration of the flat roof terrace, which is showing infiltration with leaks reaching part of the south-facing wall, the refacing of the façade to protect the building from the effects of time, and the restoration of the original metal window frames, whose double-sash mechanism integrated into the walls is particularly complex. The fundraising campaign opening in May 2026 therefore concerns solely the restoration of the flat roof terraces, whose condition presents worrying pathologies that in the short term jeopardise the very conservation of the monument. Archival aerial photographs reveal a system of gravel-topped paving slabs on pedestals, providing a flat, clean surface ideally suited to the use of these outdoor spaces as solarium. During a later intervention, this system was substantially altered: the slabs were removed and replaced with a layer of earth and vegetation approximately 15 cm thick (confirmed by survey), laid over a bituminous waterproofing layer that is now ageing. This transformation introduced a structural overload of approximately 250 kg/m² (TESS structural engineering report, 2024), not accounted for in the original calculations, giving rise to several major risks: structural deterioration, reduction in parapet height, risk of water infiltration, and weakening of the waterproofing. Infiltration has already been observed in the main bedroom — a symptom of a wider dysfunction affecting the flat roof terraces, one that is liable to worsen and threaten the architectural and heritage integrity of the building. The challenge is to restore the flat roof terraces to their original functioning in accordance with Mallet-Stevens's architecture. The planned works include complete removal of the earth and existing waterproofing layers; installation of polyurethane insulation with integrated fall; application of a new bituminous membrane; laying of a masonry slabs on pedestals in keeping with the historical photographs; and restoration of the parapets to their regulatory height. These interventions will eliminate the causes of the current deterioration, restore the architectural legibility of the two flat roof volumes, and be coordinated with the restoration of the original garden and the removal of the swimming pool. Who are we ? François Meyer, a physician, and Jacob Simpson, a professor, own the Villa Trapenard, where they have lived with their daughter Lucia since 2021. Through our professional and personal backgrounds, we are committed to raising awareness of twentieth-century built heritage and of neurodiversity in children. This house and its garden are the perfect setting in which to bring our project to life. Benefits for donors Because Myriad USA is a public charity, within the meaning of Sections 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) of the IRC, donors may claim the maximum tax benefits allowed by U.S. tax law for their contributions. We share a deep attachment to heritage, and fell in love with this modernist gem while looking for a place where our family could feel at home after being confined to Paris during the Covid lockdowns.  

In March 2023, a tornado of rare violence ripped open my roof and damaged my ancestral timber frame  , whose centuries-old woods had defied the ages. All detail about Chateau de Pontarion can be seen at following link All information about the CASTLE Actual budget is 400 000€. Breakdown is accessible at chateaudepontarion.com Because stones also have a soul, and because every place steeped in history deserves to be preserved for future generations, we appeal to your kindness and generosity. You can contribute to the restoration of this roof, which is essential for the building's survival and the preservation of its authenticity, The agreement signed with "La Demeure Historique" allows everyone to contribute to the project according to their wishes. THANK YOU SO MUCH (https://www.chateaudepontarion.com/en/contact-acces)