Charles Mewès
Encyclopedia
Charles Frédéric Mewès was a French
architect
and designer.
. He came from a Jewish family of Baltic origin. The whole family left Alsace
in 1870 during the Prussian invasion. At 20, he joined the office of Jean-Louis Pascal
, a then famous architect and instructor at the École des Beaux-Arts
. Pascal inculcated in his student a highly professional approach to architecture. Mewès competed for the Grand Prix de Rome
in 1885 and graduated in 1886.
A brilliant and cultured man, Charles Mewès owned a refined library, especially in the architectural field. In October 1947 the journal of the Royal Institute of British Architects
described him as "The true type of the French intellectual of good stock". He designed many admired buildings, including the colossal Château Rochefort-en-Yvelines
, the Jules Ferry
residence and his own residence at 38 Boulevard des Invalides in Paris. He himself became a teacher and taught many students from all over the world.
In 1900, he formed the company of Mewès and Davis with the British architect Arthur Joseph Davis
, who had been his classmate at the École des Beaux-Arts.
Charles Mewès bought the small castle of Scharrachbergheim
in Alsace, where he spent much time with his three children after the death of his wife in 1896. He died in 1914, at the age of 56.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and designer.
Biography
Charles Frédéric Mewès was born at StrasbourgStrasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. He came from a Jewish family of Baltic origin. The whole family left Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
in 1870 during the Prussian invasion. At 20, he joined the office of Jean-Louis Pascal
Jean-Louis Pascal
Jean-Louis Pascal was an academic French architect.- Life :Born in Paris, Pascal was taught at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts by Émile Gilbert and Charles-Auguste Questel...
, a then famous architect and instructor at the École des Beaux-Arts
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France.The École des Beaux-arts is made up of a vast complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près,...
. Pascal inculcated in his student a highly professional approach to architecture. Mewès competed for the Grand Prix de Rome
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
in 1885 and graduated in 1886.
A brilliant and cultured man, Charles Mewès owned a refined library, especially in the architectural field. In October 1947 the journal of the Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
described him as "The true type of the French intellectual of good stock". He designed many admired buildings, including the colossal Château Rochefort-en-Yvelines
Rochefort-en-Yvelines
Rochefort-en-Yvelines is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.-References:*...
, the Jules Ferry
Jules Ferry
Jules François Camille Ferry was a French statesman and republican. He was a promoter of laicism and colonial expansion.- Early life :Born in Saint-Dié, in the Vosges département, France, he studied law, and was called to the bar at Paris in 1854, but soon went into politics, contributing to...
residence and his own residence at 38 Boulevard des Invalides in Paris. He himself became a teacher and taught many students from all over the world.
In 1900, he formed the company of Mewès and Davis with the British architect Arthur Joseph Davis
Arthur Joseph Davis
Arthur Joseph Davis was a British architect. Davis studied at the Paris École des Beaux-Arts in the 1890s. He was the co-partner in the firm Mewes & Davis, with Charles Mewès. The firm designed the elevations and interior decoration of the London Ritz Hotel which introduced modern French comfort...
, who had been his classmate at the École des Beaux-Arts.
Charles Mewès bought the small castle of Scharrachbergheim
Scharrachbergheim-Irmstett
Scharrachbergheim-Irmstett is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
in Alsace, where he spent much time with his three children after the death of his wife in 1896. He died in 1914, at the age of 56.
Hotels
- Hôtel Ritz ParisHôtel Ritz ParisThe Hôtel Ritz is a grand palatial hotel in the heart of Paris, the 1st arrondissement. It overlooks the octagonal border of the Place Vendôme at number 15...
, 15 Place VendômePlace VendômePlace Vendôme is a square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France, located to the north of the Tuileries Gardens and east of the Église de la Madeleine. It is the starting point of the Rue de la Paix. Its regular architecture by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and pedimented screens canted across the...
(1897–1898) : transformation of the Hotel de Gramont for César RitzCésar RitzCésar Ritz was a Swiss hotelier and founder of several hotels, most famously the Hôtel Ritz, in Paris and The Ritz Hotel in London...
, the first hotel in the world to have a bathroom for each room thanks to his invention of ventilation courtyards. - Carlton Hotel, LondonCarlton Hotel, LondonThe Carlton Hotel, London was a luxury hotel that operated from 1899 to 1940. It was designed by the architect C. J. Phipps as part of a larger development that included the rebuilding of Her Majesty's Theatre, which is adjacent to the hotel site. The Carlton was originally run by the Swiss...
(1899), the first institution in London combining the use of stone and steel. - Ritz HotelRitz HotelThe Ritz London is a luxury 5-star hotel located in Piccadilly and overlooking Green Park in London.- History :Swiss hotelier César Ritz, former manager of the Savoy Hotel, opened the hotel on 24 May 1906...
, 150 Piccadilly (London) for César Ritz (1904–1905): Mewès attempted to realise a unity of style, dominated by references to the Louis XVI style. - Hotel Ritz Madrid (1910), in association with the Spanish architect Luis de Landecho.
- Hotel Maria Cristina in San SebastiánSan SebastiánDonostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
(Spain) (1912).
Private Residences
- Château Rochefort-en-YvelinesRochefort-en-YvelinesRochefort-en-Yvelines is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.-References:*...
(YvelinesYvelinesYvelines is a French department in the region of Île-de-France.-History:Yvelines was created from the western part of the defunct department of Seine-et-Oise on 1 January 1968 in accordance with a law passed on 10 January 1964 and a décret d'application from 26 February 1965.It gained the...
) built between 1896 and 1904 for Jules PorgesJules PorgèsJules Porgès was a Paris-based financier who played a central role in the rise of the Randlords who controlled the diamond and gold mining industries in South Africa....
, inspired by the Hotel de Salm (Palais de la Légion d'honneurPalais de la Légion d'HonneurThe Palais de la Légion d'Honneur is the building on the west bank of the River Seine in Paris that houses the Musée national de la Légion d'Honneur et des Ordres de Chevalerie and is the seat of the Légion d'honneur, the highest order of chivalry of France...
), but of double proportions. This grandiose project was not completed. - Hotel Rodolphe Kann, 51 Avenue d'IenaAvenue d'IénaThe Avenue d'Iéna is a tree-lined avenue in the XVIe arrondissement of Paris, running from the Trocadéro to the Place de l'Étoile. Passing through Place d'Iéna, Place de l'Amiral de Grasse, Place de l'Uruguay and Place Richard de Coudenhove Kalergi on the way...
(Paris): transformation for Calouste GulbenkianCalouste GulbenkianCalouste Sarkis Gulbenkian was an Armenian businessman and philanthropist. He played a major role in making the petroleum reserves of the Middle East available to Western development...
of a building constructed by Ernest SansonErnest SansonPaul Ernest Sanson was a French architect trained in the Beaux-Arts manner.Sanson entered the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris at the age of eighteen, and followed the courses offered by Émile Gilbert...
, in association with Emmanuel PontremoliEmmanuel PontremoliEmmanuel Pontremoli was a French architect and archaeologist. Born in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, a student in the atelier of Louis-Jules André, in 1890 he won the Prix de Rome in the architecture category and in 1922 became a member of the Académie des Beaux Arts...
. - Lutton Hoo (BedfordshireBedfordshireBedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, England) for Sir Julius WernherJulius WernherSir Julius Charles Wernher, 1st Baronet was a German-born Randlord and art collector who became part of the English establishment.-Life history:...
, associate of Jules PorgesJules PorgèsJules Porgès was a Paris-based financier who played a central role in the rise of the Randlords who controlled the diamond and gold mining industries in South Africa....
: complete redevelopment, addition of attic, grand staircase, interior decor (1903-05). - Polesden LaceyPolesden LaceyPolesden Lacey is an Edwardian house and estate. It is located on the North Downs at Great Bookham, near Dorking, Surrey, England. It is owned and run by the National Trust and is one of the Trust's most popular properties....
(SurreySurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England): extension built for the Hon. Mrs Ronald Greville to create an apartment intended to receive King Edward VII (1906). - Coombe Court, renovation for Constance Gladys, Countess de Grey.
Ships and other
- Royal Automobile ClubRoyal Automobile ClubThe Royal Automobile Club is a private club and is not to be confused with RAC plc, a motorists' organisation, which it formerly owned.It has two club houses, one in London at 89-91 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, Surrey, next to the City of London Freemen's School...
on Pall MallPall Mall, LondonPall Mall is a street in the City of Westminster, London, and parallel to The Mall, from St. James's Street across Waterloo Place to the Haymarket; while Pall Mall East continues into Trafalgar Square. The street is a major thoroughfare in the St James's area of London, and a section of the...
in London (1908–1911). - Ocean linerOcean linerAn ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
AmerikaUSS America (ID-3006)USS America was a troop transport for the United States Navy during World War I. She was launched in 1905 as SS Amerika by Harland and Wolff in Belfast for the Hamburg America Line of Germany. As a passenger liner, she sailed primarily between Hamburg and New York...
(1905), interiors: first Ritz restaurant at sea. - Ocean liner ImperatorSS ImperatorSS Imperator was an ocean liner built for the Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft launched in 1912. She was the first of a trio of successively larger Hamburg America ships that included and built by the line for transatlantic passenger service...
(1913), interiors: remarkable for the use of marble in abundance, particularly for the swimming pool and for the first class dining room. - Ocean liner VaterlandSS LeviathanSS Leviathan, originally built as SS Vaterland, was an ocean liner which regularly sailed the North Atlantic briefly in 1914 and from 1917 to 1934...
(1914), interiors: in this ship Mewès was the first to divide the shafts of the funnels to provide a complete vista of the central public rooms from one end of the ship to the other. - Spa establishment at ContrexévilleContrexévilleContrexéville is a commune of north-eastern France, in the Vosges département. Inhabitants are called Contrexévillois.The reputation of Contrexéville as a health resort dates from 1864, when development began by a company, the Société des Eaux de Contrexéville.-Twin towns:Contrexéville is twinned...
(VosgesVosgesVosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
).