Immeuble Molitor
Immeuble Molitor is an apartment building designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret and built between 1931 and 1934. Located at the border between the city of Paris and the commune of Boulogne-Billancourt in France, it has been listed along with 16 other architectural works by Le Corbusier as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Le Corbusier lived in the building from its completion until his death in 1965.
Location
The east facade is located at 24, rue Nungesser et Coli, which marks the border between the 16th arrondissement of Paris and the commune of Boulogne-Billancourt. The west facade overlooks rue de la Tourelle, located entirely within Boulogne-Billancourt.History
In 1931, the real estate developer Société Immobilière de Paris Parc des Princes, represented by Marc Kouznetzoff and Guy Noble, acquired a building site in the east of Paris, adjacent to Boulogne. Le Corbusier and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret were commissioned to design an apartment building for the site, and asked to find potential clients from among their acquaintances. The developers had not yet secured the required financing and were eager to demonstrate that avant-garde architecture could be more attractive to buyers than the conventional buildings in the vicinity.Between July and October 1931, Le Corbusier and Jeanneret designed an eight-story building with fifteen apartments, with two or three units per level. The design applied four of Le Corbusier's five points of modern architecture – free floor plan, structure supported by columns rather than walls, free facade, and roof garden. Le Corbusier negotiated with the developers and acquired the right to occupy the top two floors, to be built at his own expense, for his apartment.
Construction began in 1932. It was interrupted for several months because some of the units had yet to find buyers, while the two developers were facing serious financial difficulties. The building was completed in early 1934, but by 1935 the Société Immobilière de Paris Parc des Princes had gone bankrupt. The bank which had financed the project contested Le Corbusier's title of ownership and wished to sell the entire building. This was the start of a decade of legal proceedings, at the end of which, in 1949, the architect's title was recognized. During these years maintenance of the building was neglected, causing problems with rust in later years.
A major renovation was conducted in 1950, and again in 1962. The architect and his wife resided in this building until she died in 1957 and his in 1965. Since his death the atelier and apartment are owned by the Fondation Le Corbusier and may be visited by appointment. One wall in the lobby is covered by a mural of the architect's Poem of the Right Angle, a statement of his late aesthetics.