The vanished villas of Biarritz #1Villa Genin

Villa Genin: With its crenellated keep of four floors served by an internal spiral staircase (six rooms per floor), surmounted by a quadrangular lead dome lit by bull's eye windows, this construction desired by Auguste Genin, a replica of the Quinette d'Etampes tower which housed the royal loves was a curiosity for the walker who discovered the villa Genin at the bend of the street. Baptized “La Jacqueline” by its creator, the house has never ceased to arouse curiosities and legends. Its watchtowers bore dedications: "to Jacqueline", "to Augusta", "to Gabrielle", etc... in homage to six of the owner's friends. The lord of the place was the engineer Auguste Genin, originally from Bourgoin, administrator of several gasworks in France. Even before signing the Biarritz gas lighting treaty, he bought land from the Lacombe family. The laying of the first stone of the factory took place on January 10, 1870. Construction was completed in July of the same year. But it took nine years, from 1877 to 1886, to build the Génin tower, in Dauphiné stone with its walls one meter thick, on the plan of a four-leaf clover. 

The gardens that surrounded it joined the park of the imperial domain. Paul Faure recalled its peculiarities, including these: "And this other, who in homage to six ladies of his intimacy, added to his enormous house, already round, crenellated, and topped with a dome in the shape of plants, six turrets adorned with a commemorative dedication. Some claim that in each turret was buried the corpse of a mistress of the place... Auguste Genin did not have time to enjoy his strange home. He died suddenly in Nevers in January 1889. A collector of antique furniture, he left furniture, paintings, statuettes, clocks, medals and jewelry for a total value of 50,000 francs. francs paid by the heirs of the deceased Auguste Genin had drawn the coat of arms of the City of Biarritz which he had presented on January 10, 1870 to the Municipality.

On the heights of the Saint-Charles (or Gaz) district, the Genin Tower or Villa La Jacqueline is part of the architectural fantasy of Biarritz. With its crenellated keep on four floors, its quadrangular lead dome, this replica of the Tour Guinette d'Etampes was a curiosity for the walker who discovered the Villa Genin at the bend of a street. The owner was the engineer Auguste Genin, originally from Bourgoin, director of several gasworks in France. Even before signing the Biarritz gas lighting treaty, he bought land from the Lacombe family. It took nine years, from 1877 to 1886, to build the Genin Tower, in Dauphiné stone with its one meter thick walls. Auguste Genin did not have time to enjoy his strange home. He died suddenly in Nevers in January 1889. On a sad morning in November 1963, "La Jacqueline" was demolished to build an unsightly concrete building.