Villa Saïd

Villa Saïd is a cul-de-sac in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. It runs for 200 metres from 68, Rue Pergolèse. It is 7,5 metre wide.

History

The street was built by Mr. Alphonse Hardon, an investor in the development of the Suez Canal, who named it after Sa'id of Egypt.

Pierre Laval, who served as the Prime Minister of France from 1942 to 1944, moved into the hôtel particulier at 15, Villa Saïd, in 1917. He was a tenant from 1917 to 1925, and he purchased the townhouse at an auction for 371,339 French francs on July 23, 1925. Prior to the auction, Laval had sued the owner over allegations of dereliction.

Laval's next-door neighbour was French author Anatole France. Anatole France acquired this house, at number 5, in 1894 and kept it until his death, in 1924.

The painter Kees van Dongen (1877-1969) lived and painted at number 29 after the First World War.

References