The private mansion
Musée de la contrefaçon
A predestinated place
The building which houses the headquarters of the Union des Fabricants has not always housed the Museum of Counterfeiting. It is difficult to dream of a more appropriate situation than Rue de la Faisanderie for an association which tracks down counterfeiters! If the term “faisanderie” (pheasantry) is used to designate the enclosure in which pheasants are raised, it is also a Parisian slang word for crooks and thieves – perfectly suited to talking about counterfeiting, right?
And this is not the only coincidence: the private mansion is in fact itself a copy! It seems as though it was predestined to house the Museum of Counterfeiting… In the end of the 19th century an antiques dealer bought the land from the Rheims family, owner of 14 rue de la Faisanderie. He asked his architect to build a building with a beautiful gallery of three adjoining rooms to display his most beautiful antiques. For the facade, he commissioned him to create a copy of a private mansion in the Marais district. Irony of History: the original was destroyed during Haussmann renovations…
A historic place
Built in 1901 in the new Porte Dauphine district, the building sports a magnificent facade whose design evokes the Orangery of the Élysée Palace built in 1718. The double drop highlights the central element and gives a great lightness overall. This effect is further enhanced by the majestic marble staircase and balustrade. The great care taken in the choice of materials, architectural details, design and cladding of windows and patio doors make it a remarkable architectural gem, which justified listing the building in the French national heritage site in 1972.
In the 1920s, the rich American heiress Federica Berwind bought the house, and named it after her late husband: the building then became known as the Seton-Porter Hotel. She employs more than twenty people in her service and organizes receptions with people from the Parisian high society of the Roaring Twenties.
During the Second World War she came at the forefront of American Red Cross volunteers. She then transformed the building into an annex to the American hospital. When she returned to the United States at the end of the war, the private mansion was abandoned. In 1950, his friend Gaston-Louis Vuitton bought the private mansion on behalf of the Union des Fabricants. It has been since then the headquarters of the UNIFAB association and Museum of Counterfeiting.
an exceptional decor
But the story of No. 16 rue de la Faisanderie does not end there. In 1964, by a wonderful coincidence, Gérard Oury, a scouting director, discovered the location and obtained authorization to film a sequence of La Grande Vadrouille (Don’t Look Now… We’re Being Shot At!) there. Through a combination of happy circumstances, Bourvil finds himself propelled into this incredible adventure that he shares with Louis de Funès. Two years later, the famous “paint can” scene immortalized the courtyard of the building as well as the famous green trellis of No. 14. By the way, have you noticed that the paint that falls from the painter’s basket is not green but white? In fact, the green paint was not visible enough on the screen and was replaced by condensed milk: real cinema!
Over time, numerous movies and TV films have been made in this mansion: notably, L’Enquête Corse (2004), Micmacs à Tire-Larigots (2009), Le Bureau des Légendes (The Bureau) (2015).