Commonly referred to as Villa Les Palmiers, the Marble Palace (Palais de Marbre) of Nice was built in 1872 in order to serve as private residence for Ernest Gambard, an art dealer and consul at the time. The architect in charge with designing the building was Sebastien Marcel Biasini, who harmoniously combined elements inspired from the Italian Renaissance style with neoclassical guidelines. The entire structure is covered with Carrara marble (hence, its name).

The palace was built in a garden which had been previously built (the mid 19th century) and laid out by order of Honore Gastaud, a banker. The fame of this harden has reached the ears of Tsarina Alexandra, Napoleon III and of Empress Eugenia, who have all appreciated the splendor of the place. The garden was bought by Sebastien Marcel Biasini from the bankrupted Honore Gastaud, and became the backdrop of the future Marble Palace.

In time, this architectural complex (the palace and the garden) has been partly, but fortunately insignificantly, altered by the subsequent owners. At present, the park and the palace are property of the city of Nice which bestowed the place to the municipal archives in 1963. The Marble Palace and the garden were declared a historical monument in 1993.

Name:
Marble Palace (Palais de Marbre / Villa Les Palmiers)
Address:
7, Avenue de Fabron, 06200, Nice, France
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