The hotel was built by the architect Pierre Marius Béranger on behalf of the wealthy merchant Victor Régis, 2 years later. The Grand Hotel of Marseille, his neighbour, also built on the site of Jean-Baptiste Chabert's former private mansion, it has since become the city's Central Police Station. The two establishments will also be united under the same management in 1956. The superb building offers a central avant-corps surmounted by a sculpted triangular pediment. The facade is punctuated by the alternation of triangular and curvilinear pediments. Its entrance is marked by four fluted columns. The building has four floors on the ground floor and mezzanine and has large gardens. The Grand Hôtel de Noailles offered over 6 floors with more than 300 rooms and lounges and a renowned restaurant. The hotel offered great amenities, such as the private Provençal-style dining room. The one on the first floor was distinguished by its decoration and the large white-veined black marble fireplace from Jules Cantini's studio. "Everywhere, gilding, rich fabrics, tapestries with shimmering reflections, artistic floor lamps, metal and gold, gave off an extraordinary impression of luxury".
Many French and foreign celebrities from the worlds of politics, literature, arts and entertainment have stayed there. It was there that, on January 26, 1866, Richard Wagner learned of the death of his wife, the singer Minna Planer; a plaque affixed to the facade of the hotel reminds us of this. In January 1880, the Duke of Edinburgh visited him, accompanied by his wife, daughter of the Emperor of Russia.
But also Maupassant, in 1880, Prince Ali Khan, in 1909, General Joffre and his wife, in 1921; in 1938, Édouard Daladier and the participants of the congress of the radical party staying in this hotel witnessed the burning of the New Galleries, located directly opposite. Many representatives of the entertainment world also stayed there, including Colette, who was a client in 1909, when she performed Claudine at the Alcazar. In October 1910, playing “pantomime” in the same music hall, she complained to the Marquise Mathilde de Morny, her very close friend! to be "… very poorly housed in NoaillesIn 1935, the Hôtel Noailles was bought by a bank, Société Générale, which moved to the ground floor; she transforms the main courtyard by covering it with a glass roof to make it her check remittance office (3 m500). However, the hotel continued to operate until 2. In 1979, Jean-Paul Belmondo shot “Drôle de dimanche”, his first film, in Marseilles, with a small role, that of Patrick, the trumpeter. He then stayed at the Grand Hôtel Noailles, with Arletty, Danièle Darrieux and Bourvil.
Between 2009 and 2010, the building benefited from a major facade renovation project, as well as work in 2019-2020. The office building is now called Le Noailles and still houses Société Générale and business offices. In the spring of 2022, the social landlord Logirem is launching the real estate conversion works of a wing of the former Grand Hôtel Noailles. In June 2023, the tertiary premises, the offices of a bank, will be transformed into 21 social rental apartments.
SOURCES Wikipedia Noailles & old-marseille.com & Marseille Municipal Review – No. 201 – May 2003 & francebleu.fr & New Publications
PHOTOS Google Street View & bnppre.fr & Archives & Delcampe.net
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