Le Palais des Sirènes

The Palace of the Mermaids is one of a series of three Art Deco buildings built in 1929 by Henri Bret in Sainte-Maxime, Saint-Raphaël and Cannes, where architecture worked on the idea of the monumental angle, crowned by a pediment. The building is built at the corner of two structuring streets of the new seaside resort being built: the avenue de la Gare (currently Jean-Jaurès) which connected the station to the beach and the casino, and the "boulevard du Littoral". The main feature of this building is the spectacular treatment of the facades that plays on architectural trompe-l'oeil, allowing to monumentalize the angle. The pediment features a bas-relief cement decoration with maritime motifs. Four mermaids are located on either side of the bay itself surrounded by a garland of algae and corals where small crests of waves and fish mingle. The top of the arch is crowned with a jellyfish. This building was labeled "Heritage of the twentieth century" in 2007 by the Ministry of Culture.