The mauresque park models

CHINESE BUFFET

The Arcachon station Buffet, known as the Buffet Chinois or Pavillon Chinois, was built to plans by Paul Régnauld, chief engineer of the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer du Midi, Paul Régnauld, in 1863-1864 and built by the Bordeaux contractor Dejean. It was located on the site of today’s Jardin Jacques Chirac. It opened its doors in July 1864, after nine months of construction. The large building measured some twenty meters in façade, fifteen meters in depth and the same in elevation.
The three-storey Chinese Pavilion comprised vast lounges for table d’hôte dining rooms, a restaurant, a refreshment room, private lounges, vast kitchens and pantries… The building was adorned with valuable decorative paintings thanks to the talent of J. Salesses and
B. Bernier, two artists renowned for their decorations of the Grand-Théâtre de Bordeaux.

Known as the “Chinese Buffet” for its due to its architectural appearance inspired by Chinese architecture and richly decorated interior, this building, an outbuilding of the station, was a curiosity of its time. Its most famous customer was Alexandre Dumas (père), who had lunch there on June 22, 1865, during his short stay in Arcachon. After
a few years of operation and having never been a profitable operation, it was decided to demolish in 1882.

THE CHALET PEREIRE

Located in the Abatilles – Pereire district, at the south-western end of Arcachon, not far from the Chapelle Notre-Dame, this Villa was built in the style of the Chalets of Baden (Baden Württemberg), with a thousand cut-outs and serrations. Work on the park (40 hectares) and the Villa began in 1863 and was completed in 1864. The Chalet was essentially built of red bricks, set in shingles, and surrounded by cement poured over marble chips, with a terrace overlooking the sea. The spacious Villa was designed to house the families of the two inseparable brothers Émile and Isaac Péreire.
The interior design provided every desirable comfort and amenity, with simple, sober furnishings reminiscent of the grand bourgeois houses of the 19th century. A long fence encircled this vast estate, with three gates giving access to the Parc du Chalet, which had its own autonomy with stables, a large vegetable garden, three large greenhouses for growing flowers, sheds and even a forge.

Paul Régnauld (1827-1879), engineer and architect, nephew of Émile Péreire, designed this exceptional Villa, which remains primarily a private property. to organize festivities in the park, notably for religious ceremonies of Pentecost and August 15th. This Chalet, where Napoleon III visited the Péreire brothers on October 04, 1863, was destroyed in 1959. This visit by Péreire, was immortalized by Bordeaux photographer Alphonse Terpereau. This image – a facade overlooking the park – is not only not just a souvenir of a trip, but a reminder of an event.

THE CASINO MAURESQUE

The Casino Mauresque was built in 1863 by the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Midi, owner of the Ville d’Hiver, to designs by the engineer Régnault, who was also the architect of the Passerelle and the Observatoire. The facades were modelled on the Alhambra in Granada, the Alcazar in Toledo and the Mosque in Cordoba. It was topped by two metre-wide domes, covered in strips of yellow and red frosted glass.
A grand central staircase adorned the north façade, facing the Basin, and was extended by winding paths leading down to the Summer City.
On the south side, towards the Park, there were originally two side staircases.
In 1923, to make way for a Café Dancing with a view of the sea, the north staircase was demolished and a south staircase now gave access to the Casino. Arcachon’s residents and tourists still have fond memories of this modified Casino. This model reproduces the Casino as it was originally. It burnt down in 1977.