Anger of local residents against a building that will hide the Lucien Dior house

In Granville (50), several hundred residents are angry. They oppose the construction of a building, a stone’s throw from the SNCF station, which makes it possible to reach Paris in a little over three hours. The reason? The building, planned for 2024, will, according to the inhabitants, overshadow a historic residence left as a legacy by the Dior family: it is the house of Lucien Dior, great uncle of fashion designer Christian Dior and former deputy of the English Channel (1906-1931).

“This residence will disappear behind a building of a distressing ugliness and will be partially denatured“, denounces a collective in a petition that has collected, to date, more than 1100 signatures. “False!” retorts the mayor of Granville. “No, the villa will not be demolished but restored and rehabilitated into accommodation: 7 in the new part and 7 in the villa, assures Gilles Ménard, quoted by Ouest France. We are in urban densification and the local urban plan allows it“. A building permit was filed by the promoter Virtus Patrimoine, in December 2021 for the construction of a 14-unit building colored in pink, in homage to the Villa des Rhumbs – currently Christian Dior museum -, built at the end of the 19th century. “The building incorporates elements from Granville, such as the bow window or the zinc roof, with its own style, a nod to Christian Dior“, explains Maÿlis Lerclerc-de Sonis, general manager of Virtus Patrimoine.

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To oppose this real estate project, the residents have sent a free appeal, confirmed by the mayor of Granville. Trying to calm things down, the developer ensures that the Lucien Dior house, designed by the architectural firm Urbanmakers is part of his project, will be restored and will remain visible to walkers. “It is a question of heritage but also of ecologyexplains Maÿlis Lerclerc-de Sonis. The house is in very poor condition today but we want to keep the soul of this house. We will offer luxury apartments there.“. A way to reinforce the image of Granville nicknamed “the Monaco of the North”.