Subit & Gouyon

Visit organized by History and Heritage of Saint-Étienne

Louis Prosper Armand Subit is a French architect born on February 11, 1901 in Villebois in the Ain and died on August 12, 1944 in Saint-Genest-Lerpt in the Loire. Henri Mathieu Gouyon is a French architect-engineer born on May 19, 1902 in Saint-Étienne and died on January 20, 1975 in the same city. Graduated from the School of Public Works of Lyon in 1925, he created his own agency with Armand Subit. He then collaborated with his son, Yves Gouyon (1925-1987) also became an architect. These two architects met in the team of Auguste Bossu (designer of the Maison sans escalier in Saint-Étienne) and founded their own architectural firm in 1925 in the same city, rue Badouillère, but settled very quickly (as early as 1926) avenue de la Libération. Gouyon was particularly concerned with construction sites, leaving to Subis the architectural work itself. When the agency closed in 1934, they continued to work for their own account. They are both part of the modernist architectural line of Auguste Bossu. They are responsible for the construction of many buildings in Saint-Étienne, including the famous Villa Hatier (1931), 7 rue de la Richelandière in Saint-Étienne, listed in the Inventory of Historic Monuments in 1989 and the Palais Anatole France (1937-1938) rue du Onze Novembre, still in Saint-Étienne. Gouyon and Subit were suspicious of the audacity of Corbusier (who worked at Firminy in the suburbs of Saint-Étienne) and professed a «measured modernism». They were supporters of the condominium and sought to offer quality buildings to their customers, with a certain comfort (garages, elevators, garbage dumps, balconies, reception halls, large windows, central heating, hot water, bathroom, dressing room for the concierge, large clearances and beautiful rooms). Buildings of this period often feature bow windows generally connected by balconies that often have rounded corners and wrought iron railings. Particular care was given to the basement (often marble) and the entrance doors.