Antoine Puéo, Maison fleurie/House with flowers

The Midi Lbre, a journal from southern France, on december 17, 2012 had an article* saying that La "Maison Fleurie" vit ses derniers jours" (the flowered house will have its last days). A plan to widen the street where the house is situated, implies that it has to be demolished.

Located in Lézagnan-Corbières, at the Rue Gambetta, a narrow street indeed, not much has been published in writing or on the internet about this decorated house and its author, but it must have been depicted on various postcards.

on the left a small part of the decorated house
picture via Google streetview

The newspaper article has some details, as related by Marie-José Puig (1951), grand-daughter of Antoine Puéo (?-?).

Life and works

She says her grandfather, born in Spain, came to France at a rather young age (maybe around 1900 or so, my guess), to become trained as a mason.

Having become the owner of the house in the rue Gambetta, in the early forties Puéo began reconstructing it, adding additional floors, replacing balusters and decorating the facade with sculptures he made himself, and decorations with mosaics and shells.

Through the years, the house also has been embellished with natural plants and flowers, which induced the name Maison fleurie 

the house rises high above the other houses 
in the narrow street
picture via Google streetview

Marie-José Puig, who for many years has lived in the house and eventually became its owner, in 2001 has sold the property to the municipality.

Documentation
* Link to the Midi Libre newspaper article (in french)
* Weblog by Jean-Michel Chesné with a picture postcard of the facade
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note:
* I am indebted to Michel Leroux who noted the newspaper article and Jean-Michel Chesné who wrote about it on his weblog

Antoine Puéo
Maison Fleurie
Rue Gambetta
Lézignan-Corbières, Languedoc-Roussillon area, FR

to be demolished

Maison fleurie weergeven op een grotere kaart