Louis-Auguste Couvrechef
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Louis Auguste Léodar Couvrechef (1827–1858) was a French architect who served
Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
as architect for the imperial residences.


Early life

Louis Auguste Léodar Couvrechef was born in
Mathieu, Calvados Mathieu () is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region in northwestern France. Population See also *Com ...
, in 1827.


Education

He studied at the
École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...
in Paris.


Career

Couvrechef was made a sub-inspector under architect Hippolyte Durand on the project to build the
Villa Eugénie A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fal ...
in
Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; also spelled ; ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. It is a luxu ...
as a summer residence for the imperial family, starting in 1854. Durand chose a rather austere design, and was abruptly dismissed in June 1855. Couvrechef, who was known to prefer a more decorative style, was given responsibility for continuing the work. In 1857 Couvrechef became architect of the
Château de Pau The Château de Pau (, ) is a castle in the centre of the city of Pau, the capital of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Béarn. It dominates that quarter of the city. Henry IV of France and Navarre was born here on December 13, 1553, and it was once ...
. Couvrechef was also involved in reconstruction of the Empress's Castillo de Arteaga in the province of
Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...
in Spain, a medieval building surrounded by walls with four round towers.


Death

Couvrechef died in 1858 and was replaced as architect of the imperial residences by
Gabriel-Auguste Ancelet Gabriel-Auguste Ancelet (; 21 December 1829 – 3 August 1895) was a French architect who undertook various projects for the Emperor Napoleon III, and later taught for many years at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, École des ...
.


References


Sources

* * 1827 births 1858 deaths 19th-century French architects {{France-architect-stub