Sale Mansion Dax - 9 bedrooms

Laurent VAGINAY, OptimHome, and Kévin LAUSSU, Art historian, Malaye ! Patrimoines, are honoured to present a rare and particularly notable building of Dacquoise architecture from the late 19th century.

A 9 bedroom mansion on three levels, in the heart of the city, with a garden of over 1000m2.

Behind the solemn and delicate veil of carved stone that animates its facade, the Darracq hotel preserves the memory and the brilliance of sumptuous hours. It is now in its 140th year.

In 1882, the square on the right of which it was about to be built erased the remains of an immense earthen fortification which had protected the Saint-Vincent gate since the Middle Ages. At the time, this reduction was to Dax what Vauban's glacis is still to this day to Bayonne.

At that time, when the city was just embracing its thermal vocation in faith of progress, the lawyer and notary Auguste Darracq (1848-1919) undertook the construction of a building which was to distinguish him from his fellow men. His preference was for a site outside the historic centre, which had just been cleared of its ancient ramparts. This choice was all the more unusual as the local bourgeoisie was still reluctant to settle in the suburbs.

Their taste naturally gravitated towards a scholarly architecture that would impose an aesthetic canon on the rural neighbourhood. This project, full of classical references borrowed from some of the most famous private mansions of the 18th century, owes the brilliance of its fine ornamentation to Paris, Versailles and Bordeaux. The obvious reference to Ange-Jacques Gabriel (architect of the Petit Trianon, 1762-1768) can be seen in the motif of the bays with ribboned garlands, as well as in the use of table cladding.

The elevation is composed of two bays punctuated by a front section that magnifies the monumental entrance. Does this curious arrangement suggest a more extensive programme that would have eventually seen the creation of a second wing in symmetry? There is nothing to suggest this. The dissonant surprise effect is all the better.

The pioneering work that could have motivated the neighbourhood to undertake a series of urban transformations around the square in its wake has ended up isolated. Its ostentatious character still contrasts with the low-rise buildings next door, which makes it all the more picturesque and pleasing to the eye of the attentive walker.

At the threshold of the dwelling, the visitor is invited to enter a large vestibule dominated by a high, resonant ceiling. A step leads to the front of the stairwell. Each wooden step of the staircase is attached to the stringer of a delicately chiselled wrought iron balustrade.

The whole of the raised ground floor is distributed by a central antechamber lit by a zenithal glass roof culminating at more than 10 metres. A spectacular scenographic effect is accentuated by the presence of a crown of balustrades on the first floor, an unusual Anglo-Saxon decorative reference.

The rooms on this level include a vast and opulent reception room to the south, a private boudoir and a dining room opening onto the garden to the north. All are adorned with carved woodwork, fireplaces, inlaid parquet floors and gypseries spilling out in streams of abundance.

The kitchen, to the west, opens onto a more intimate flat connected to the complex network of cellars by a service staircase.

The first floor is nonetheless generous in height. A Greek cross plan distributes three bedrooms and a former architect's office with a drawing room and study.

The top floor forms a huge plateau suitable for a complete refurbishment, with a breathtaking view of the Splendid and the Cathedral.

As is customary, the hotel opens onto a private garden with trees - the most spacious in the city centre - from which one can enjoy the last rays of the sun in complete tranquillity. This confidential and intimate face of the property with its terrace is reminiscent, on a smaller scale, of the hushed atmosphere of the park of the Élysée Palace.

Elegance, prestige and history: all of these values anchor this exceptional residence in the Dacquois heritage.

If one considers that it belongs to a series of sumptuous private mansions which only count four specimens locally, one will realize all the more its rarity.

Owned by the same family for more than a century, this precious property is waiting to find an attentive buyer, an entrepreneur, sensitive to fine work and aspiring to restore this place to its former glory through a quality renovation. This pledge of passion will guarantee access to a unique setting and lifestyle.

NB: It was also referenced in a notice published on page 87 of the first volume of the book, Dax-Architecture (Kilika, 2020) reproduced in this advert.

Historical/technical note and photographs by Kévin Laussu, Malaye! Patrimoines, all rights reserved, 2022. Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website: georisques. gouv. fr.

Contact Laurent VAGINAY Sole trader with limited liability, OptimHome sales agent (RSAC N°497 920 678 Greffe de DAX) (ref. 528734 )

Information on the risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website : https://www.georisques.gouv.fr

Ref : 830039603009 - Date : 07/02/2023