Page 271 - Livre Beau Rivage Palace

Fig. 4 Fig. 5

looks grand, but lacks intimacy.’ None the less, the board made the renovation work on the courtyard. Parking will no longer be allowed on the
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following announcement to its shareholders during their March pavement, as occasionally happens at the moment.’
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1940 meeting: ‘The bar was completely refurbished and reopened last May, For some ten years the archive documents are silent on the
and we are happy with the renovation.’ (fig. 8.) subject of the bar, but the following lines, written at the start of
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The effects of war on a hotel such as the Beau-Rivage the 1950s, suggest that its glory days were over and that it was in
Palace could provide the subject for an entire detailed study in desperate need of another ‘revamp’: ‘Returning to the issue of lighting.
itself. How was news of the tragic historical events that were Almost all of the hotel is poorly lit: from the avenue, to our gardens (as seen
unfolding received within its walls? What impact did it have on from the waterfront), to the bar, which fails to impress. Some find it old-
an establishment whose main purpose was to ensure a peaceful fashioned and uninviting. We cannot create a focal point out of it; it is not a
stay for its cosmopolitan clientele; a clientele who, as comments in place where people like to congregate. Should we try to create one, or open a
the guest books reveal, appreciated the hotel’s ability to provide a summer ice-cream parlour in the arcades for example, similar to the Séchaye
‘timeless’, tranquil oasis? In September 1939, as the German army café, which had to close after the war? The place could be open to the general
was marching on Poland, the minutes of the board meeting noted public of Lausanne.’ Another note from 1953 comments, ‘We have
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that: ‘The radio attracts the clients to the bar at certain times [because of also noticed that the cushions in the bar are threadbare. The lighting leaves
the declaration of war and the mobilisation of the troops], with the result a lot to be desired, being either too bright or too dim for the bar.’ 23
that the bar is very busy.’ Had Cornaz fallen out of favour? In February 1950, the task
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Cornaz undertook further work at the hotel, notably the of refurbishing the fourth floor of the Beau-Rivage was given
renovation of the entrance lobby which was started in 1944. A to one of his old associates, Walter Baumann, and in January
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note from May 1946 reads: ‘The refurbishment of the Palace’s entrance 1951, after the death of the hotel’s architect, M. Perrier, the board
lobby continues at a very slow pace. We are still waiting for some items to decided ‘to consult with the architect M. Pierre Bonnard on all
be finished. The tie-backs of the drapes are having to be made by hand, matters regarding the building work’. In December 1954, the
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since it was impossible to find any which our architect M. Cornaz would renovation of the bar became top priority once again: ‘The board
approve of. M. Cornaz has taken a look at the fourth floor. The reason has visited the bar and terrace together with M. Bonnard. For the bar,
we have engaged him is because it is imperative we preserve the elegant two projects with different decorative schemes have been proposed. The first
lines of our facade. At first sight, it appears that converting the current staff involves replacing the huge central pier between the bar and the gallery with
accommodation into guest bedrooms will be very complicated.’ 19 a smaller supporting structure to create a T-shaped room. The second project
In 1949 Cornaz was asked to design an awning for the same retains the central pier, which is preferable as it would preserve the bar’s
entrance lobby. It was not executed, however, as the following intimate atmosphere. For the same reason, we will not create a door in the
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comments from 1950 reveal, with a witty nod to the 1935 French west partition wall, we will reduce the width of the entrance into the corridor
jazz band hit ‘Tout va très bien, Madame la Marquise’, performed by and remove the large mirror on the west side. The ventilation system will
Ray Ventura and his Collégiens: ‘All is not well with the Palace’s awning. be simplified and will not be connected to that of the dining room. Large
The current one does not provide adequate shelter for arriving guests, while insulated glass panes will be installed on the veranda to retain the heat.’
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the proposed one would have been too expensive to make. The Savary By spring 1955, either the building work had been deferred or the
company has suggested a canvas awning which would only be used for chosen design had not been entirely satisfactory, because the issue
gala evenings and other special occasions. We will be giving this idea further was raised again: ‘The bar is taking up a great deal of our time. Our
thought. In the meantime, a budget of 5,000 fr. has been approved for the architect has been strenuously defending his original open-plan project. The

The Beau-Rivage bar at the beginning of the 1940s. J. Cornaz architect, General view of the bar with plans for a fresco showing Fig. 8
a compass rose and Lake Geneva, ink and wash on tracing paper, undated [1938-39]. J. Cornaz architect, Hôtel Beau-Rivage. Detail, bar with dance floor,
Indian ink on tracing paper, January 1939.

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