Location of the Cierplikowski family’s townhouse

Tourists pour out of the Trocadéro metro station in Paris. Many of them feel a great sense of excitement at the thought that in a moment they will have the pleasure of gazing upon the legendary Iron Lady, the iconic symbol of the City of Lights: the Eiffel Tower. Viewed from the esplanade situated between the wings of the Palais de Chaillot, it stands in all its splendour, gracefully towering over the French capital. Few are able to tear their eyes away from it and look around the neighbourhood. And it’s well worth it; for us Poles in particular, this is a place worthy of attention.

Nearby, at 1 Avenue Paul-Doumer, one cannot fail to notice the townhouse designed by the architect Jean Fidler (1890–1977), built between 1935 and 1937 for Marie-Berthe Cierplikowska, the wife of the world’s most famous hairdresser, Antoni Cierplikowski (1884–1976) from Sieradz, known as Antoine de Paris.

The eight-storey building proved to be a technical challenge, and the details of its intricate construction were described in the specialist press, as many of the solutions used here were employed for the very first time.

The architecture and interior of the Cierplikowskis’ townhouse

Antoine’s ‘Hôtel particulier’ (a stately city residence) was built on a reinforced concrete frame. It was fitted with a modern shelter to protect against gas attacks and bombing, reflecting a growing sense of the threat of war. Each floor housed two luxurious, air-conditioned flats for rent. Soundproofing was fitted in the floors, walls and even the lift. Underfloor heating was installed throughout the building to avoid the need for radiators, whilst the plumbing and electrical systems were concealed within the walls. Access to these was provided via metal hatches, discreetly positioned in out-of-the-way places.

The ground floor housed accommodation for the staff, complete with every possible amenity: bright, spacious rooms, each with its own toilet and bathroom. This was an innovative solution, demonstrating Antoine’s concern for ensuring his staff could live in dignity. In Paris, servants usually lived in the cheapest, cramped little rooms in attics, sharing a single toilet on each floor.

The architect Charles Clément-Grandcourt, whilst touring the building for an article he was preparing for a trade journal, noted the simple façade, devoid of superfluous ornamentation. It provided the perfect backdrop for the elaborate steel front doors with panels of raw glass, which opened automatically and led into a monumental hall, from where a lift took one up to the upper floors.

The Cierplikowskis’ flat occupied the top two floors. The lift would only go up there when a special key was used. Most of the rooms in their duplex had their own, practically furnished bathrooms with a bath and shower. The finishes were crafted from modern and luxurious materials of the highest quality. The faience tiles for the bathrooms were imported from what was then Czechoslovakia; the wooden elements were made of waxed sycamore and oak, whilst the staircases and corridors were lined with marble. The interior design of this exceptional residence was overseen by Sara Lipska (1882–1973), a long-standing collaborator and friend of Antoine’s. She had previously decorated his salon at 5 rue Cambon and the world-famous Glass House (‘Maison de Verre’), also situated in the 16th arrondissement, at 4 rue Saint-Didier.

Antoine was passionate about all the latest technical innovations. That is why he ensured that even the floors on the residence’s terraces were heated in winter, whilst a suitable temperature control and watering system allowed the balconies to be adorned with flowers at any time of year. This delighted his wife, Marie-Berthe, who longed for their country estate in Gravigny, near Paris. However, the balconies and terraces were far from having a bucolic atmosphere. They were more reminiscent of the deck of the transatlantic liner *Normandy*, which inspired many architects, including, for example, the sister of Tamara Łempicka (1894–1980), Adrianna Górska de Montaut (1899–1969), who designed the Normandy cinema on the Champs-Élysées.

The Cierplikowski House in the eyes of others

The concrete, steel and glass used in the building, the unusual shape of the townhouse with its semi-circular façade, the breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower and the approaching 1937 World’s Fair attracted tenants willing to pay a fortune for such a prestigious address in Paris. This was particularly true when, in May 1937, it appeared on the cover of the magazine *La construction moderne*. For his part, the architect Roger Dornès (1908–1964) devoted a six-page article, richly illustrated with photographs, to the building at 1 Avenue Paul-Doumer in *Art et décoration* (1937):

Leaving the Exhibition, I went to see the building that Fidler had just completed. 1 Avenue Paul-Doumer, on the corner of the Place du Trocadéro. The contrast is striking. After the flimsy structures and facades that have sprung up temporarily along the Seine, the solidity and genuine luxury of this building are all the more astonishing. Everything possible has been done here to ensure the tenants’ utmost comfort. Suffice it to say that the entrance gate to the building opens by means of an electric motor, activated by pressing a bell, and closes slowly once a visitor has entered. […] The clientele willing to pay for such luxury is very limited, and it is certainly impossible to fill dozens of buildings of this type.

[…] Despite the extraordinary luxury, Mr Fidler managed to maintain in his design the simplicity and modesty that characterise a discreet and aristocratic elegance. The lines are clean, the forms refined, without excessive elaboration: everything seems to be exactly where it ought to be – not heavy, not silent, not sad, and luxurious yet not garish.

It is clear that projects of this kind cannot be replicated on a larger scale, at least for the time being. However, they serve today as a laboratory for gaining experience, enabling the implementation of new technical procedures that facilitate and enhance everyday life. One can only hope that others will also undertake such efforts to improve, step by step, the living conditions of an ever-increasing number of people: what was a luxury yesterday is today’s daily bread; what is a novelty today, which amazes us and even seems the height of sophistication, will tomorrow serve, if not entirely, then to a large extent – provided the costs of implementation can be reduced – to make life more beautiful.

Today, Antoine Cierplikowski’s tenement house is one of the buildings that best represents the architectural philosophy of the 1930s, and is listed under the national heritage protection scheme. The following people lived here: the actresses Lisette Lanvin (1913–2004) and Jacqueline Maillan (1923–1992), and the enigmatic Ivan Shapochnikov, who, along with this address, found his way into the book by Nobel laureate Patrick Modiano (1945) *Accident nocturne*.

Pierre Botton (1955), a notorious businessman who lived for many years in the former Cierplikowski family apartments during the 1980s, wrote in his memoirs that it was one of the most fashionable haunts amongst Parisian high society.

Today, it is Philippe Starck (1949), the famous architect and designer, who resides on the top two floors, jealously guarding his privacy.

Passy Cemetery

It takes barely a minute to reach Passy Cemetery, where the grave of Antoine’s right-hand man lies, his remains having been brought from Poland in the 1990s. Antoine had purchased his final resting place at the Parisian cemetery following a falling-out with his wife and, whilst he was still alive, could look out upon it from the terrace of his flat.

So, if you ever find yourself at the Place du Trocadéro, feast your eyes on the view of the Eiffel Tower, and then take a few minutes to stroll over to Antoine de Paris’s townhouse and the neighbouring cemetery.