Le Majestic, a Belle Epoque palace in the heart of Nice

From the 18th century onward, Nice became a winter resort for great aristocratic families and high society, particularly British visitors, drawn by the mildness of its climate and its location on the Riviera. The number of winter residents continued to grow, especially from 1860, when the city, ceded to France, was connected to the European railway network.

This influx of foreign populations shaped Nice’s urban landscape, leading to the development of new districts and the construction of specific types of buildings: hotels, villas, leisure residences, an opera house, and a casino.

Le Majestic, built between 1906 and 1908 at the request of Swiss hoteliers Henry and Lucien Emery, is part of this movement and embodies the architectural spirit of the period. It was the largest hotel in the city, measuring 175 meters in length, 44 meters in height, and 9 storeys, accommodating up to 500 rooms and offering luxurious amenities for its time (lounges, restaurants, elevators).

The complex takes the form of a monumental, elongated structure that curves to the west, to which two smaller volumes are attached. From the pitched roof rise two tower-like caps, reminiscent of bell towers. These various projections, combined with a highly dynamic main façade, help prevent any monolithic effect.

This façade, highly ordered, is characterized by a play of projections and punctuated by concave bays. The mouldings and ornamentation are particularly rich and eclectic: sculpted cornices forming geometric or vegetal patterns, ironwork, engaged columns, and medallions. On the lower levels, the architect abandons smooth stone in favor of a flat rusticated treatment, giving the building a more solid and assertive appearance. These numerous decorative elements are limited to the south façade, while the north façade is completely devoid of them.

During the First World War, the hotel was converted into a military hospital, then taken over in 1924 by hotelier Joseph Aletti. Architect Charles Dalmas, assisted by his son Marcel and Marcel Guilgot, carried out modernization works, incorporating luxury shops into the grounds, transformed into small one-storey houses.

The Second World War marked a period of closure for the hotel, which did not reopen after the conflict. The developer Victor Saglia acquired the property and converted it into a condominium of 220 units, with the project entrusted to Louis Milon de Peillon.

These successive functions profoundly altered the interior layout of the Majestic. In the 1930s, the reception rooms were stripped of much of their decoration, with some elements reinterpreted in an Art Deco style. This simplification intensified later, during the building’s conversion into a condominium.

Nevertheless, the common areas and the imposing elevator, along with details such as the woodwork, stone staircases, columns, and geometric stained-glass windows, recall the building’s opulent past. The architects responsible for these modifications consistently ensured the preservation of spatial quality, maintaining the wide corridors and majestic halls.

A Nice-based architect trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Jules Febvre (1859–1934) left a lasting mark on Nice’s architectural landscape upon his return to the region. Versatile and prolific, he designed public buildings, residential properties, and religious structures alike, actively contributing to the urban transformation of his time. Among his works, the Majestic remains one of his most ambitious achievements.

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