Background
Auguste Perret was born on February 12, 1874 in Ixelles, Belgium, (French parentage). Son of Claude Marie and Pauline Lucie (Lorimey) Perret.
(His most famous building was the Théâtre des Champs-Élysé...)
His most famous building was the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées a project which he took over from the Art Nouveau architect Henry van de Velde. The facade was simple and decorated only with a sculptural bas-relief by Antoine Bourdelle. The corner of the building was smooth and rounded, anticipating the Streamline Moderne style three decades later. Thanks to the use of concrete pillars, the interior lobby and the theater itself was vast and open, unobstructed by columns. The interior decoration featured works by the modernist artists of the day; a dome by Maurice Denis, paintings by Édouard Vuillard and Jacqueline Marval, and a stage curtain by Ker-Xavier Roussel.
1913
Auguste Perret was born on February 12, 1874 in Ixelles, Belgium, (French parentage). Son of Claude Marie and Pauline Lucie (Lorimey) Perret.
He received his early education in architecture in the family firm. He was accepted in the architecture course of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, along with his two brothers, Gustave and Claude. Where he studied under Julien Guadet, a Beaux Arts neoclassicist who had collaborated with Charles Garnier on the construction of the Paris Opera. Beyond the neoclassical rationalism he learned from Gaudet, Perret's particular interest was the structure of buildings and the use of new materials, such as concrete. Though he was considered a brilliant student, he left school without obtaining a diploma and went to work for the family firm.
Perret immediately began experimenting with concrete. His first important project was an apartment building on rue Franklin in Paris (1903), where the concrete structure, instead of being concealed, was clearly visible and was a part of the exterior design. He made an even more radical experiment with the construction of a garage on rue de Ponthieu (1906) (now destroyed) with a simplified cubic structure expressing the interior, large bays of windows and a lack of decoration, which resembled the later International Style.
In his later works, Perret used concrete in imaginative ways to achieve the functions of his buildings, while preserving classical harmony , symmetry and proportions. His major works included the building of the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council, originally built for the Museum of Public Works of the 1937 Paris Exposition and the Mobilier Nationale de Saclay, the national government furniture depot in Paris, warehouse. He also created innovative industrial buildings, including a warehouse in Casablanca covered with a think veil of concrete (1915), the Perret Tower, the first concrete tower for the International Exhibition of Hydropower an Tourisme of Grenoble (1925), to expose his "Order of Concrete", and an extraordinary concrete church, Notre Dame du Raincy (1922-1923), where the interior columns were left undecorated and the concrete vaults of the ceiling became the most prominent decorative feature. He experimented with concrete forms to achieve the best acoustics for the concert hall of the École Normale de Musique de Paris in Paris.
In 1952 he completed construction of the Saclay Nuclear Research Centre in the Paris suburb of Essonne. He described this building as a "Small Versailles for nuclear research". Most of France's early nuclear reactors were constructed within the site.
His other major postwar projects were the reconstruction of the center of the port of Le Havre, which had been almost totally destroyed during the war. His first plan was rejected as too ambitious, but his modified plans were followed and were later listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. His last major work, finished after his death, was the St. Joseph's Church, Le Havre, (1951–1958) whose most prominent feature is its tower, like a lighthouse, 107 meters high, and visible at sea. He also participated in the postwar reconstruction of the port of Marseille and Amiens.
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris
(His most famous building was the Théâtre des Champs-Élysé...)
1913The Saclay Nuclear Research Centre (CEA) in Saclay, in the Paris suburb of Essone
1952Apartment block
(Reinforced concrete apartment building at 25 rue Benjamin...)
1903Grand stairway of the Conseil économique, social et environnemental, Paris
(Now decorated with a portrait of Perret)
1937The Chapel of Immaculate Conception in Arcueil
1930Spire of St. Joseph's Church, Le Havre (1951-58)
1908-12 Cathedral, Oran, Algeria
He continued to carry the banner of nineteenth century rationalism after Viollet-le-Duc.
Member Institut de France.
Institut de France
Married Jeanne Cordeau, January 30, 1902.