Gabriel Davioud

Who was Gabriel Davioud?

Jean-Antoine-Gabriel Davioud was a French architect.

Davioud was born in Paris and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts under Léon Vaudoyer. After winning a Second Grand Prix de Rome, he was named inspector general for architectural works in Paris, and chief architect for its parks and public spaces.

As a colleague of the urban planner Baron Haussmann, he designed much of the characteristic Parisian street furniture: benches, pavilions, bandstands, fountains, lampposts, signposts, fences and balustrades, jetties, monuments, as well as a number of landmark buildings.

Among his most notable works are the popular Saint-Michel Fountain in Place Saint-Michel, the old Palais du Trocadéro, and the two theatres at the Place du Châtelet

In 1868, Davioud succeeded Jacques Landry as mayor of Houlgate, where he stayed until 1871. His mandate was interrupted when he was appointed capitaine du génie during the Franco-Prussian War. Noted for his work in Paris, he built a single villa in Houlgate, La Brise, on the Route de Caumont.