Maison Rayes is a Beirut mansion overlooking the Port of Beirut, which was badly damaged by the explosion on August 4. Located in the Sursock district - famous for its traditional character and its houses which symbolize the Beirut lifestyle from the beginning of the 20th century - Maison Rayes was built in the 1960s using old elements from a house patrician who belonged to the grandparents of the owner and who served as residence for General Gouraud when he landed in Beirut in 1919. The particularity of the house lies in its stained glass windows and interior woodwork which mixes oriental, Italian and French influences and which were commissioned in Europe by the owner's great-grandfather around 1890.
These woodwork and stained glass windows underwent a thorough renovation in 2019. The explosion destroyed all the work done and caused damage to the rooms and damage to the furniture. Since the onset of the disaster, the rubble has been cleared away and an inventory of the works has been made. The priority is to “close” the house by restoring its front door and its exterior joinery with stained glass windows, the lower part of which is made up of mother-of-pearl panels and enhanced with bronze motifs attributed to Carlo Bugatti (1856-1940), Italian cabinetmaker famous for his production of Arab-type furniture, the fruit of his long travels in the East.
We, the owners, will fund the bulk of the repairs and refurbishment of the furniture. We have just installed a new, identically recreated front door. We are asking the public for the restoration of elements of heritage interest, namely the period joinery whose "cathedral" stained glass windows will have to be ordered in France and reconstructed according to the same motif in Beirut. These stained glass windows will find their place on the 4 large doors closing the house on the south side. While some of the woodwork can be restored, most of it needs to be recreated. It will also be necessary to re-manufacture the door of the vestibule (photo above with the red lantern) adorned with a beautiful stained glass drawing that it would unfortunately be too complicated and expensive to redo identically but which will be replaced by other period stained-glass windows that we still have and which will also be used to replace the stained-glass window in the sliding door separating the living room from the office.
The cost of replacing all the stained-glass windows bordering the south facade in accordance with the initial design (ie 8 panels) amounts to 14,400 euros.
Minimum objective: € 3,600 which will allow us to finance the replacement of the stained glass windows on one of the large doors.
If this goal is achieved:
Level 2:€7,200: an additional € 3,600, which will allow us to finance the replacement of the stained glass windows on the second of the large doors.
Level 3: € 10,800: an additional € 3,600, which will allow us to finance the replacement of the stained glass windows on the third of the large doors.
Level 4: €14,400: an additional € 3,600, which will allow us to finance the replacement of the stained glass windows on the fourth third of the large doors.
We are the owners of Maison Rayes, Beirutins in heart and blood. We had completed a few months ago the renovation of the old stained glass windows and woodwork which are the focal point of the house. These woodwork survived the two world wars and the war in Lebanon. They were part of the palace belonging to our grandparents and which was rented to General Gouraud when he arrived in Lebanon. It is important to restore or reconstruct them because they are part of the collective memory of Beirut. They are an important link in the chain of transmitting memories and bear witness to that orientalist spirit that took hold of interior furniture at the turn of the century. Restoring them will help keep this thread between the past and the present. The explosion was a terrible trauma, but we are determined to restore the House to all its beauty and to welcome you there with this famous Lebanese hospitality.
You can support this project:
- by making an online donation by credit card on this page after registration on the Dartagnans site
- by making a bank transfer (for contributions from 1000 euros) after registration on the Dartagnans site
Article released in L'Orient Le Jour on 28/05/2020.
Euronews: https://fr.euronews.com/2020/08/11/beyrouth-apres-la-catastrophe-le-patrimoine-en-danger
France Inter: https://www.franceinter.fr/emissions/le-zoom-de-la-redaction/le-zoom-de-la-redaction-01-septembre-2020
France culture: https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/le-reportage-de-la-redaction/beyrouth-ville-meurtrie-peut-elle-se-relever
L'Orient-Le Jour: https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1231536
Nous remercions chaleureusement tous les donateurs. Votre aide contribuera non seulement à sauver le patrimoine Libanais en danger existentiel suite à cette tragédie, mais aidera aussi à donner du travail à beaucoup d'artisans gravement affectés par la crise économique que subit le Liban depuis le début de l'année.
Email: [email protected]
Site web: www.maisonrayes.com
Instagram: @maisonrayes
