Quelques particularités

Some special features :

A few loose ends that were originally planned, but were dropped. Some have already been mentioned...

a music stand :

The 'PORT GRIMAUD' project has evolved and changed over time. The architect had to modify the original plans several times...

Thus, on the first master plan of the market square, François SPOERRY had planned a bandstand as we still see them a few times on village squares. Unfortunately, they tend to disappear...

The market place would have deserved such a construction...

Note that 2 rows of trees were also provided. All the squares in Provencal villages are protected from the sun's rays by numerous plane trees or other trees with abundant foliage (Place des Lices in Saint Tropez or Place Neuve in Grimaud, for example). The architect preferred eucalyptus trees...

The Fountain of the 6 Cannons :

The architect began by building the fountain that gave his name to the Place des 6 canons. Then he built the building and the surrounding shops...
Over the years, the restaurant businesses had spread out their terraces to the point of hiding the fountain. But now that these businesses have disappeared, the fountain has regained its dominant position.

Plan de la fontaine des 6 canons Port Grimaud

The plans for the fountain drawn by the architect...

la fontaine des 6 canons Port Grimaud

The Place des Pêcheurs and the Hôtel du Sud :

       On this plan dating from 1965, the architerct had foreseen a "fishermen's square" at the entrance to the pass...
       A hotel was also planned in front of the beach of Port Grimaud II in place of the Rond'Eau...
       On this sketch of Port Grimaud dating from 1962, the hotel and the square were already topical!... but were not retained in the final design...

The little bridge :

On the first model of PORT GRIMAUD, a small bridge joined the place du 14 juin to the esplanade of the Capitainerie ...
When it was built, this small bridge was replaced by a car park alongside the Giraglia Hotel.

Beach cabins :

Semi-submerged beach huts were planned at the entrance to the beach, behind the place des 6 canons, and next to the mills...
But like the latter, they were not retained in the final project.

Yacht Club :

At the other end of the beach, near the Giraglia Hotel, the Architect had planned to create a large 'nautical club' adjoining the service station.
The latter ended up on the other side of the exit channel and the club was not retained...

Rue du Septentrion :

       The first models showed a building with a porch connecting the place des 6 canons to the rue du septentrion.
       Instead of a garden, the rue du septentrion was bordered by a building where the architect had planned to create social housing so that, as in a real village, the different social classes could live together...

       But the first owners were fiercely opposed to this creation, which had a lasting effect on the architect. In the interview he gave me (read the interview with Mr Spoerry ), François Spoerry returned several times to this episode...

Garden design :

On 5 November 1975, the architect wanted to redesign the garden of the Place des Artisans and the Place du 14 juin...
But these two changes were not implemented...