PRESENTATION

The "Gallic hotel" was built between 1926 and 1927 on the plans by architect Marcel Oudin (1882-1936).

This hotel was built on the top of a property called "Bois Fleury" belonging to the Meetz-Moulton family. This family, of American origin, also owned two other houses, below the "Gallic", located along what is today the “Rue Vernet”, in a large park that went from the “Place Joffre” up to “Place de la République”. The "Gallic hotel" would fit into a planted environment, and become a part of it. The city of Dinard bought the two “Moulton” villas in 1925, in order to establish in one of them, the head of the first Tourist Office. The two villas and their park disappeared in the 1960’s to make way for a parking lot, thus depriving the "Gallic" of the plantations that were part of its surrounding.

Bird view seaward side before building
of the Gallic Hotel circa 1925
(private collection)

Bird view city side before building
of the gallic Hotel circa 1925
(private collection)

Bird view circa 1950
The Gallic Hotel in its planted environment
(private collection)

At the corner of Place de la République - Rue des Bains circa 1941
 Upstage, one of the two "Moulton" villas
(private collection)

On December 1^st, 1925, John Hennessy, who owned the splendid villa “La Garde” in Dinard, gave the villa “Bois Fleury” acquired in 1919, to found a corporation named “La compagnie l’écluse” with a capital of 400,000 francs, of which he was the main shareholder. The company had its headquarters first at N° 1 rue Levavasseur and then at N° 13 Boulevard Féart. Its purpose was to create modern bathing facilities in order to give new developments to Dinard. The resort was indeed at a turning point in its history. It had to meet the tastes of a new wealthy clientele, when women had cut their hair and shortened their skirts and in a mean to escape the image of millions of deaths during WWI, were getting dizzy with modernity, speed, sports and jazz music. This generation, called the "lost generation" by Gertrud Stein, had then replaced the ladies that attended some quiet five o 'clock teas at the “High Life” Casino at the turn of the century.

This ambitious project immediately received support from the City mayor in spite of strong opposition from the City Council and very hot debates on the subject.

The "Gallic Hotel" will be the only achievement of the company the "La compagnie l’écluse” which will retain ownership of the building until its subdivision into apartments in 1949.

The emerging popularity of the "French Riviera" as a summer destination, as described in Fitzgerald’s Tender is the night”, the creation in 1925 by Jay and Florence Gould of the resort of “Juan les Pins”, and the crisis of 1929, would be fatal to new developments in Dinard. 

Florence Gould on board "SS Normandie" circa 1935

 

Frank Jay Gould II circa 1913

Other building project in the area such as “La Vicomté” in Dinard and “Longchamps” in Saint Lunaire also failed for the same reason.

The prestigious "Companie des Hotels Réunis” which ran at the time some of the finest French palaces, operated the hotel until its shut down in September 1939.

Its first director, Mr. Galli, of Italian origin, was greeted by the local press at the inauguration as a great professional in its field. Indeed, he had already been director of major hotels including both Granville Hotel and Jersey Hotel.

A new night club will appear, just in front of the Gallic Hotel, located on the 11th of Boulevard Féart, named "le Casanova", on the plans of the architect Marcel Oudin. The wealthy guests of the hotel will be able to dance there till dawn, with the accompaniement of jazz and tango orchestras from Paris, New-York or Buenos Aires.

Entrance of the "Casanova", 11 boulevard Féart,
projet of facade by Marcel Oudin circa 1927
(Municipale archives of the city of Dinard)

In the early years of its operation, the "Gallic Hotel" was an undeniable commercial and mundane success as pointed out by an article in the "Journal of the Emerald Coast " in August 1931 and by the picture published in the magazine "Dinard mon pays” taken during a tea given at the Gallic Hotel on July 3, 1931, on the occasion of the first arrival in Saint Malo ferry terminal of the fast train "Côte d’emeraude - Pyrenees". 

 

Picture taken in front of the rotonda, during a tea
given on July the 3rd 1931

 

Front page of the hotel's Police book - 1931
(private collection

Extracts of the hotel's Police book - years 1931 to 1934. In the left-hand column, you find the numbers of the rooms. In the column "date de naissance" is written the guests age

(private collection)

Extract from the "Guide Michelin" 1939.
The Gallic hotel is one of the third best hotel of the resort
(private collection)

However, toward the beginning of WWII, the operation will prove increasingly difficult to the point that in 1938, the shutdown and subdivision into apartments was already planned.

The "Gallic Hotel" suffered of the consequences of the 1929 crisis in the U.S., which affected Europe in 1931, losing much of its clientele, mostly Anglo-Saxon. He was on also built too late at a time when Dinard was less famous as mundane and more as a family resort. This trend went on after WWII with disappearance of many other palaces of the resort in the years 1950-60, with only one exception, the "Grand Hotel".

General view taken in 1927, the hotel is just achieved
(private collection)

CONSTRUCTION

The choice of Marcel Oudin , a renowned Parisian architect and specialist in reinforced concrete, is probably related to the fact that he had worked repeatedly for the Hennessy family, upgrading, among other things, their cellars in Cognac. Dinard was not unknown to Oudin ; his architectural firm had a location in Dinard, located 6 Avenue Edward VII and he also own a summer house in the resort. 

Jean Hennessy 1874-1944

Marcel Oudin, student at Art Déco's school, circa 1900, 2nd on the left

 

 















Marcel Oudin belongs to a generation of architects who design the architecture of a building, it’s outside as well as its inside. The Gallic Hotel is the epitome of this architectural concept. Marcel Oudin managed, for example, to capture permanently the light but using both internal partitioning through glass panels in the ground floor lobby and by the arrangement of facades in "step like manner” on the sea side facing north.

Plan by Alexis Daniel in 1948 for the subdivision in appartments. 
The rooms are still in their original design
(archives of the condominium "Le Gallic")

The demolition of the villa "Bois Fleury" was undertaken in April 1926 and the hotel opened on June 4th, 1927. This construction was a technical challenge and was the first building in the region to use a structure of concrete beams without any bearing wall. This explains its rapid construction.

The inauguration was followed by a posh dinner party of 200 people, hosted by Mayor Paul Crolard who was a great supporter of the project.

Ongoing festivities took place from June 4^th to June 11^th 1927 : galas, dinner parties, flower show, Miss pageant contests, all of it largely reported by local press.

 

Luggage tag

(private collection)

View in 1927 for the inauguration

(private collection)

DESCRIPTION (1)

Sea side facade in 1929
(private collection)

The most spectacular facade of the building is the one facing the sea designed in "step-like manner ". It was certainly inspired to Marcel Oudin by buildings designed by the architect Henri Sauvage, one of his famous contemporary. Sauvage, used for the first time the “step-like manner” design in 1912 in the construction of a building located in Paris, 26 rue Vavin. In 1922, he achieved the most complete example of this pattern using it in building a social housing complex in Paris 18th arrondissement.
Sauvage an “hygienist” architect, was primarily concerned by sanitary matters. This type of architecture in “step-like manner” allow both air and sun light to enter within flats in a time when tuberculosis was a major concern and exposition to fresh air and sun where the only known cure. Sauvage works had a significant influence on Le Corbusier, when designing "La cite radieuse” housing complex in Marseille and Nantes.

This "hygienist" architectural language was perfectly suited to a design in a seaside resort where sea bathing at that time still had a strong therapeutic connotation.

It is primarily due to his son’s poor health that Pablo Picasso and his wife Olga spent three summers in Dinard, and stayed one week at the Gallic Hotel both in July 1928 and August 1929.

Although it’s facing north, this “step-like manner” structure allows the first floors rooms, the largest and most expensive ones, to have their terrace in the sun light until noon. It work the other way around at dusk for the more “modest” rooms on the 6^th floor. A straight structure would have made it impossible to have accessed to the sun light, a source of health and well-being according to the medical precepts of the time.

A rotunda will be added to the facade in 1928, used as a restaurant in addition to the dining room reserved for guests. Because of the great reputation the cuisine at the Gallic Hotel acquired during its first season, building this extension became quickly necessary. This rotunda was probably designed by Alexis Daniel , one of Oudin’s assistants.

DESCRIPTION (2)

The facade on the boulevard Féart.

To bring down any monotony effect due to a lengthly façade, Marcel Oudin, designed three successive different vertical patterns, playing on the shape of windows : a pattern of "screens" topped by a loggia, a pattern of two balconies and a window, and then groups of twin windows. All of this gives the impression of three different buildings against one another and linked on the top by an awning.

This facade is probably one of Oudin’s most representative example of his style at the time.

It should be noted that Marcel Oudin just completed in 1925 the pavilion of “Les Magasins Réunis", a chain of department stores owned by the Corbin family, at the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts. He also drew up in 1913 the plans for their main store in Paris on Avenue des Ternes. This building is today considered as a historical landmark.

On this façade of the Gallic Hotel, one can find all key architectural elements used on the pavilion of the exhibition :

Use of windows in shape of a screen that allows a larger view and much more light. This design which corresponds exactly to the needs of a seaside hotel, is significantly develop on this facade and it offers each room and suite a view over both sea and city.

Windows in shape of a screen
Boulevard Féart
(private collection)

Use of the awning on the top floor. And on other floors on this facades and on the sea front façade the use of planters above each window play the same role as an awing. Such planters are a constant element used by Oudin and it is particularly developed in all his works at this time such as the "Gallic Hotel", or the "Celtic Hotel" set on the Pen Guen beach at St. Cast (Britanny) or his unrealized project of a public pool in Dinard.

Use of curved colored glass included in an iron structure can be found both in the pavilion of the Exhibition of Decorative Arts and in the "Gallic Hotel" where they adorned the large canopy that covers the main entrance to the hotel.

Detail of curved colored glasses of the canopee

Finally, a visual effect of the pergola was the result of the polychromy of the loggia of the last floor. The upper part of the walls and the ceilings were painted in red color named « Estérel » while the supporting structure, such as the columns supporting the awning, were painted in yellow as the rest of the building.

Detail of the polychromy of the loggia

Main entrance and canopee boulevard Féart

(private collection)

DESCRIPTION (3)

A second three-storey building located in the inner garden, included twenty rooms which would accommodate drivers and servants to the guest staying in the main building. At this time, hotel guest are always travelling with their own servants who continue to serve them whilst staying at the hotel. When Picasso stayed at the hotel, his driver/secretary was accommodated in the same room (room n°182) instead of staying in the alternative building. The bill, found at the Picasso museum shows only one room number.

Second three-storey building and the inner garden

(private collection)

 

INTERIORS (1)

  

Main Lobby

Oudin used for this room a very plain design with great effect in contrast to other rooms of the hotel which are decorated with stencils in a strong and stressing polychromic pattern.

This very large space, with its walls of plain ivory colour, is only punctuated by two large columns enclosing the magnificent revolving door ; a symbol of luxury palaces. Topping these columns is a an illuminating cornice, where light effects on the ceiling divide it into several different areas and diminishes the effect of height and thus structures the area. This lighting system avoided the use of chandeliers, made ​​impossible by the fragility of the ceilings, and emphasized the overall purity of the architectural design.

The floor is covered with a paving in a beautiful blue and ocher "art nouveau" pattern. Such paving can be found on the floors in many works of the architect.

detail of the main lobby paving

Elevators designed by “Roux & Combalusier Co” are an essential piece of the decoration of the main lobby. They were designed very carefully, because they express hotel modernity and luxury.

At that time, a luxury for a palace does not only lie in its décor but also in technical systems that now seem very common, such as central heating designed by “Herbert Co” in Saint Brieuc (Britanny) or by hygiene appliances such as the hundred bathrooms that can be found at the "Gallic Hotel" in 1927 among its hundred and fifty rooms.

There are today in France only two known examples of this exceptional set of two elevators, still in working order : those of the “Gallic Hotel” and those of the famous Westminster Hotel in Le Touquet. Elevators of the "Gallic Hotel" were restored in 2010 under the authority of the “Architecte des Bâtiments de France” by “Schindler Co” who still has the original plans.

Original scaled elevation drawing of the elevators doors
(Archives Schindler company) 

The monumental staircase was, like the living room and dining room, decorated with stencils of floral themes.

What was a very interesting feature of the main lobby is its brightness. The wall fully glazed separating the lounge, dining room, gallery and the main lobby, let in the northern light, windows of the revolving door and eighteen windows of the cage stairs brought successively in turn, the morning and afternoon sun light..

View of the gallery between the lobby 
and the garden - sea side view.
The lounge was located behind the glass wall on the left, 
and the dining room behind the right one
(private collection

Picture of the lobby taken from the stair
(private collection)

Armchair and pedestable table made in wicker
from the lobby
(private collection)

View of the lobby from the revolving door.
At the back, on the left, the elevators
(private collection)

Elevators at the ground floor, after their renewal in 2010 
(photo P.Viger)

Elevators - Details of the ironwork
after their renewal in 2010
(photo P.Viger)

Elevators at the 6th floor after their renewal in 2010
(photo P.Viger)

The entrance to the hotel bar, named in a very British manner "Gallic's Bar" was located behind the elevators. One had to climb a flight of three stairs to enter this very narrow room later expanded with a glazed pergola where stood the dance floor. The decor was also made ​​of stencils of decorative sea scenes framed with painted ropes. Furniture came from the “Fischel Co”, a typical choice for bars at the time. The bar which remained open all year round, also had a street entrance. 

View of the Gallic's bar 
(private collection)

Jug, coffee pot, tea pot, in silver plated metal, designed by Christofle company, for the Gallic's bar and the hotel.

(private collection)

Ashtray HAVILAND's china

The state of conservation of the main lobby is remarkable. Only two minor amputations where made when the building was turn into apartments in 1948 by Alexis Daniel, former assistant to Oudin, in order to add two shops located on both sides of the entrance. Apart from that, the main lobby retained its proportions and original decor. It is thus a very rare example of interior decoration by Oudin “designer of ephemeral”, which are mostly all gone by now.

INTERIORS (2)

Dining room

This large room originally stood on the left of the glass gallery on the ground floor which connected the main lobby to the garden. It was preceded by the kitchen, which extended up to the inside court. The decoration is characterized by a strong polychrome probably base of blue, orange, and green on a beige background, consisting of floral motifs and draperies stencilled. Columns, covered with staff, concealed the supporting structures of the building. The upper part of the walls, lined with wood paneling typically Art Deco motifs, included decorative panels with paintings of remarkable sites in Britanny.

View of the dining room
(private collection)

Actual view of one of the paintings ( "Vitré")
of the dining room 

(service of heritage city of Dinard) 

Piece of stencil painting from a corridor

The floor consisted of a coating of vitrified red cement and it still can be seen in the buiding corridors. One of the side effect of this coating, even though very aesthetic, is its soundness and it’s lack of heat. Thus it necessitated the presence of heaters under tables as it is shown on photographs taken at the time of the opening.

Electric lighting was provided by the lamps in a shape of a ring put on the numerous columns. The installation of chandeliers was not possible due to the lack of any structure in the ceilings. The same type of lamp was set at regular intervals between each window and each door. Electric lamp in Louis XVI style, probably made of plated silver, were placed on the tables. This was made to soften the harsh light from all the other light sources. The use of red or pink pleated silk lamp shades brought a note a bit outdated but very "British" in such a modern surrounding. 

 

View of the dining room
(service of heritage city of de Dinard)

The furniture was typical of most of the luxury hotels of the time. The bentwood chairs, in a mahogany color, came from “Fischel & son” (model 196 .1 / 2 Catalog Fischel). This company also provided other models of chairs for the hotel, especially those for the bar covered in brown moleskin with studded edge. Serving tables were used to divide the dining room into different areas.

Chair from Fischel&Son model 196.1/2
from the dining room
(private collection)

Silverware designed by Christofle were used, especially a model called "Berain" with a shell motif, along with a flatware model called "Vulcan". This model was created in 1926 by Luc Lanel for the SS "Ile de France" of the Cie Générale Transatlantique (known as French Line). The plates were made of white china and had on the edge a golden monogram "GH" for "Gallic Hotel" on a blue background with a surrounding of golden pearl.

Wine coasters, in silver plated metal
designed by Christofle company
(private collection)

Vegetable dish in silver plated metal
designed by Christofle company
(private collection)

Cutlery in silver plated metal 
 designed by Christofle company
called "bérain"
(private collection)

China plate
with the monogram of the hotel
(private collection)

Round dish in silver plated metal
designed by Christofle comapny
called "Vulcain"
(private collection)

The design in its whole was more related to the aesthetics of the late teens and the first part of the twenties. Such floral design in bright colors was not without recalling the decoration of frescoes of the ancient Babylonian palace and the Oriental costumes of the Diaguilev’s Russian Ballets that had so much impressed the time before WW1.

In 1927, when the hotel opened, this type of decoration has had its climaxs in 1925 at the Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris, exhibition that counted Marcel Oudin among its contributors.

It contrasted in any case with the modern exterior of the hotel and the design of the main lobby announcing the next decorative period where some form of “nakedness” banning color and encouraging shape, that would later become the rule.

The cuisine of the "Gallic Hotel" would, during its first season, become one of the most famous in Dinard and gained a star in the 1935 edition of the Michelin guide. But at that time, the hotels remained enclosed places where guests stayed for a long period of time living a way of life that was similar to that of a private residence. And thus the habit of dinning out at hotel restaurant was very scarce.

Because of the success that had the table during its first summer season, according to local newspapers, getting a table at the "Gallic Hotel" is worth a long wait, during winter of 1927-1928, the dining room is completed with a rotunda used as a restaurant. The construction of the latter will lead to significant changes in the ground floor.

The facade will be retained. And the dining room, whose doors once opened on a terrace, now opened directly in the restaurant inside the rotunda. The light was brought inside the building by two levels of glass tiered roof on the rotunda and then through large windows above the doors of the old facade now inside the building.

The restaurant area thus played the role of a sort of winter garden or a large bow window opened to the sea added to the dining room. The dining room, then retained its "formal" character with its rich decor and the restaurant, probably without any particular décor, because of its many windows, would have a more "outdoor" atmosphere. The old pictures also show that some of the tables in the restaurant could even have been set up outside under the awning of the rotunda, which undoubtedly explains the beautiful tile floor which is still there.

Tile floor of the rotunda

The construction of the rotunda is probably not only related to the gastronomic success of the cuisine at the hotel as written by contemporaries. It also marks a change in the seaside lifestyle. In fact, until WWI, seaside lifestyle was a transposition of aristocratic and bourgeois lifestyles in cities or castles that was mostly cast inside. The sea and the beach were then only considered as a landscape to be contemplated without any or very few contact with them. In the 1920’s, a new lifestyle appeared, turned towards the beach, which became its location. This is the birth of an outdoor life we still have today. The restaurant in the rotunda at the "Gallic Hotel" seems to fulfill this need.

Covers of the menus of the Gallic hôtel designed by Louis Icart
(private collection)

Bill for a meal at the restaurant
located in the rotonda in july 1929
(private collection)

Menu of a banquet at the Gallic hotel on the 15th septembre 1927
(private collection)