Andre Manoukian to save Chamonix landmark?
In a recent interview with Le Dauphiné Libéré André Manoukian mentioned his top secret (although not so secret now...) dream of turning the dilapidated La Tournette into an international music centre.
La Tournette was built in 1905 by a Lyonnais architect for Joseph Couttet, the famous Chamonix mountain guide. The grounds consisted of the house itself, a large park and the Hotel Royal (now the Casino). In the 1950’s it was bought by Maurice Herzog, who was the mayor of Chamonix at the time, as well as being the first person to summit Annapurna. In 2000 Herzog sold the property to the commune of Chamonix, from which time it has fallen into disrepair.
Its current sorry state has lead to concerns that if La Tournette is not saved soon, it may have to be demolished for safety reasons, as previously reported in local press (in French). There have been numerous suggestions of what to do with the building but with renovations expected to cost in the region of a million euros no one has been too keen to get stuck in...
...Until now! In an interview this weekend with Le Dauphiné Libéré André talked of his love for the Chamonix mountains and the upcoming Cosmojazz Festival. He rounded off by hinting that he would love to transform La Tournette into a centre of music where musicians from around the world could meet and play together. Could this be the last chance for La Tournette? André has the vision to make it happen and fortunately isn’t short of a euro or two... Fingers crossed for a happy ending for this historic local landmark.
Source : Le Dauphiné Libéré
