Maurice Fatio

Maurice Fatio
Born	March 18, 1897 Geneva
Died	December 2, 1943 Chicago, Illinois
Nationality	Swiss
Alma mater	University of Zurich
Occupation	Architect
Buildings	Casa Alva Eastover

Maurice Fatio (1897–1943) was a Swiss-born American architect.

Biography

Maurice Fatio was born in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 18th, 1897, originating from a prominent family.

He graduated from the Polytechnical School at the University of Zurich and studied under Swiss architect Karl Moser.

In 1920, he came to New York City, where he first worked for society architect Harrie T. Lindeberg. He soon branched out on his own in partnership with William A. Treanor who was twenty years his senior. In May 1923, the 26-year-old Fatio was voted the most popular architect in New York.[1]

He moved to Palm Beach, Florida, in 1925 and opened an office there.[2] In Palm Beach, he began designing harmonious Mediterranean-style houses and eventually branched out into everything from Georgian to contemporary. In 1929, he married Eleanor Chase (1901-1944), a prominent Palm Beach society girl and novelist, in New York City.[3]

The family grave in 2024.

Fatio had two children with Chase, Alexandra (1932-2015) and Maurice Pierre "Petey"(1930-1961). Maurice Fatio died on December 2, 1943, of lung cancer at a Chicago hospital.[4] His wife died the next year.[5] Both were buried in the Fatio-family grave at the cemetery of Genthod.

James H. Clark bought the 40,000 square foot Il Palmetto in 1999.[6] In December 2010 Casa Alva sold for $27.5 M.[7]

Notable buildings

• Residence of David Rockefeller. 146 East 65th Street, New York City. 1924.[8]
• Buenos Recuerdos . Palm Beach. 1927. Henry G. Barkhausen.[9][10]
• Ribault Inn Club, 1928 Fort George Island
• First National Bank of Palm Beach. 1928.[11][12]
• Casa Della Porta. 195 Via Del Mar, Palm Beach. 1928. Mr. & Mrs. William J. McAneeny.[13][14]
• Clubhouse - Indian Creek Country Club. Miami Beach. 1929.
• Casa Eleda. South Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach. 1929. Mortimer L. Schiff.[15][16]
• Il Palmetto. 1520 South Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach. 1930. Joseph E. Widener.[17][18]
• Eastover. 1100 South Ocean Boulevard, Manalapan, Florida. 1930. Mr. & Mrs. Harold S. Vanderbilt.[19][20] On the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
• Villa Today. Palm Beach. 1932. Mrs. Audrey Berdeau.[21]
• Casa Alva. Manalapan, FL. 1935. Colonel & Mrs. Jacques Balsan.[22][23]
• Brazilian Court Hotel. Palm Beach. 1936. South wing added by Fatio.
• Society of the Four Arts, Library. Palm Beach. 1936.[24]
• Crespi Estate. Dallas, Texas. 1939. Pio & Florence Crespi.[25]
• Four Winds. Palm Beach. Mr. & Mrs. Edward F. Hutton.[26][27]
• Manana Point. Palm Beach. Mr. & Mrs Grover Loening.[28][29]
• Villa Oheka. Palm Beach. Mr. & Mrs. Otto H. Kahn.[30][31]
• Alva Base. Fisher Island, Miami Beach. Mr. & Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.[32]
• Dickinson House. 1240 Cocoanut Road, Boca Raton. On the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

References

Notes

1. Johnson 1991 p. 201.
2. Seebohm 2001 p. 239.
3. Palm Beach Post. July 20, 1929
4. Johnson 1991 p. 201.
5. "Palm Beach Social History". www.newyorksocialdiary.com. Archived from the original on 2009-05-02.
6. "In Palm Beach, the Ultraluxury Market Is Sizzling". New York Times. 2001-08-05. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
7. "Estates for Sale: Estates for Sale: architecturaldigest.com". www.architecturaldigest.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15.
8. Reed p. 34.
9. Johnson 1991 p. 210.
10. Treanor 1932.
11. McIver 1976 p. 83.
12. Treanor 1932.
13. Johnson 1991 p. 202.
14. Treanor 1932.
15. Johnson 1991 p. 224.
16. Treanor 1932.
17. Johnson 1991 p. 236.
18. Treanor 1932.
19. Johnson 1991 p. 258.
20. Treanor 1932.
21. Johnson 1991 p. 278.
22. Johnson 1991 p. 270.
23. Treanor 1938.
24. "Home". palmbeachpreservation.org.
25. "Crespi Estate".
26. Treanor 1938.
27. Mockler 2010 p. 206.
28. Treanor 1938.
29. Mockler 2010 p. 150.
30. Treanor 1932.
31. Mockler 2010 p. 74.
32. Mockler 2010 p. 196.

Bibliography

• Egan, Eric. Recent Florida Work by Treanor & Fatio, 1928-1937. Honor's thesis, Brown University, 1989.
• Fatio, Alexandra. Maurice Fatio: Architect. A. Fatio, 1992. ISBN 0-9632014-3-3.
• Johnson, Shirley. Palm Beach Houses. New York: Rizzoli, 1991. ISBN 0-8478-1313-4.
• McIver, Stuart. Yesterday's Palm Beach. Miami: E. A. Seemann, 1976.
• Mockler, Kim. Maurice Fatio: Palm Beach Architect. New York: Acanthus Press, 2010. ISBN 0-926494-09-0.
• Pryor, Hubert. Eleanor of Palm Beach. Philadelphia: Xlibris, 2002. ISBN 1-4010-6628-3.^[self-published source?]
• Reed, Henry Hope. The Golden City. New York: W. W. Norton, 1971. ISBN 0-393-00547-X.
• Seebohm, Carolyn. Boca Rococo: How Addison Mizner Invented Florida's Gold Coast. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2001. ISBN 0-609-60515-1.
• Treanor & Fatio. Recent Florida Work by Treanor & Fatio Architects. Palm Beach: Davies Publishing Co., 1932.
• Treanor & Fatio. Recent Florida Work by Treanor & Fatio Architects. Palm Beach: Davies Publishing Co., 1938. Second edition.