Ancien hôtel Ruhl

English translation

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History

The hotel was built in 1913 by architect Chanet. Temporarily converted into a hospital, it became the Radio hotel in 1937, housed the Air Ministry in 1940 and was sold as apartments in 1945. The building comprises a ground floor with rustication and balcony-loggias, and four levels of roof space over nine storeys. The interior has retained its large central hall under a glass roof, a former restaurant hall now converted into a table tennis room. This room is entirely decorated with Neo Louis XVI ornament of stucco, of composite classical structure, on which was applied decoration of foliage, flowers, fruits and rural scenes. Fluted pilasters and entablatures support a ceiling taking the form of a barrel vault of cloister form divided by lunettes, with a zenith opening decorated with painted glass in the manner of stained glass windows. The architect used the decorative repertoire of the late 18th century (garlands, frieze of posts, dentils...) mixing it with Art Nouveau motifs (bunches of roses, vines). The painted canvases depict rounds of dancing women playing viols and tambourines drawn with Hellenic inspiration. The glass roof takes up a composition both classical and neo-classical with colours typical of the Third Republic. This hall is one of the last remnants of the ornamental decorations that adorned the great hotels of the Belle Époque of Vichy.