Tarzan at the pool
In his former life, Tarzan was a lifeguard. In 1929, the Auteuil-Molitor swimming pools were officially opened in Paris’s 16th arrondissement by the famous American swimmer Johnny Weissmuller (25 years old): a five-time Olympic champion and actor, who would later become better-known as Tarzan, kind of the jungle. The American star even extended his stay so he could keep working as a lifeguard over summer! Designed by architect Lucien Pollet, the new complex featured a 33-metre indoor pool and 50-metre outdoor Olympic-sized pool surrounded by beaches of real sand and encircled by three storeys of changing rooms.
A leading attraction in Paris
The best artisans of the period, like the stained-glass window maker Louis Barillet, worked on the Art Deco-style building inspired by ocean liners, very much in fashion at the time. Quickly, the pools became a popular destination for Parisians, even hosting fashion shows, swimming galas and theatrical productions. The Molitor was even a winter training centre for French ice-skating champions. It was here that the bikini revolution began on 5 July 1946 when the engineer Louis Réard presented his new design to the public. It was worn by Micheline Bernardini, a dancer from Casino de Paris.
Listed as a historic monument
The pool was finally shut down in the summer of 1989 and was at risk of demolition. Luckily, the ‘SOS Molitor’ association – created by regular swimmers and other local residents – came to the rescue and managed to have the building listed as a historic monument on 27 March 1990. Over time the Molitor became dangerously run down and eventually different groups of artists reclaimed the site, which became a Mecca for Parisian subculture. In 2011, the building’s conversion into a 5-star hotel gives us an opportunity to celebrate its avant-garde soul, which never really disappeared.
A glorious restoration
‘The Molitor’s interior is designed to be a journey through time, moving from the pool’s origins to the project of today’, explains Jean-Philippe Nuel – who worked on the project with the manufacturers Fermob, Tôlerie Forézienne, Ligne Roset, Steelcase and Vitra. The original Art Deco features, vestiges of Street Art, and modern architectural elements anchor it within a much broader context and mark out the steps on this journey. The historic features from the 1930s are the backbone of the design: the colour of the façades, the restaurant ceiling and the entrance booths have all been restored to their original condition and reveal the building’s essence.
Polymorphic quality
Echoing these features, new spaces, like the guest rooms offer a new interpretation of the original spirit. ‘Through the different rooms, an aesthetic emerges that is in a constant dialogue and balance with all the other design references’, adds Jean-Philippe Nuel. ‘From this polymorphic quality, a specific and original identity is born. This makes the Molitor a truly unique site’ – There’s no need to call in Tarzan this time.
Interview with interior architect and designer Jean-Phillipe Nuel
