Ferdinand Fillod in Gueugnon (71), Saône-et-Loire (71)

I'd seen and admired the work of Ferdinand Fillod online, and wanted to see it personally, but this proved hard work, and in spite of having pored over maps, using the smartphone when we reached the area, etc, there seemed to be no way we could find the famous five prefabricated metal pavilions. However, I asked a guy who was gardening nearby and although he'd not heard of the structures about a kilometer from his house, nor La Rue de la Paix on which they stand, he knew the Rue de Bruxelles which they're (almost) on the corner of, we had a brilliant lead.

Fillod is seen as a pioneer in the prefabricated building field, and these in Gueugnon were built in the 1930s and have served several purposes. They were a response to a temporary housing crisis among forge workers, they served as a prison for German soldiers, they have been used for sports and general cultural use, and these five are now monuments historiques.

There are also other Fillod structures in Gueugnon, such as this on Rue des Marnays.

And this is on Rue de la scierie.

Ferdinand Fillod in Saint-Amour (39), Jura (39)

Ferdinand Fillod (1891-1956) was an archiect and designer born in Saint-Amour, where he returned after the war to continue his business as a boiler maker. By the end of 1928, though, he had make a request for a patent on prefabricated steel houses. This is not the place to talk about all his successes, but they are numerous.

 

One tribute to Fillod is the local lycée, with its surrounding fence of metal. Here, the initials FF of course stand for Ferdinand Fillod.

The Maison Fillod on 23 Rue d'Allonal was the foreman's four-roomed house, although for a monument historique it seems in a rather poor state.

The Fresque des visitandines shows, among other things, actor Firmin Gémier (1869-1933) who had a holiday home here, the local world-renowned flutist Marcel Moyse (1889-1984), the weekly market, the open air swimming pool, and the annual film festival.

Also shown is Fillod's factory.