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Tours of the Chateau Chavaniac will be given during Family Weekend
By Liz Margolis ’09
Located on Paxinosa Ridge, about a mile north of Lafayette, sits one of the College’s most interesting buildings, the Chateau Chavaniac. Modeled after the birthplace of the Marquis de Lafayette in Chavaniac, France, the sheer appearance of the Chateau sets it apart from the rest of the Easton residential neighborhood.
Tours of the Chateau will be given Sunday, Oct. 28 during Family Weekend. Hosted by Michiko Okaya, director of the Williams Center for the Arts gallery, the tours will focus mostly on the extensive art collection housed in the building. Buses will run from the Williams Center every half hour starting at 10:30 a.m. with the last bus leaving at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $5 at the door, $3 with Family Weekend registration.
Portraits of the Marquis and other Revolutionary War heroes such as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington make the Chateau an invaluable piece of American history. Some of these portraits were done by J.D. Court, Ary Scheffer and Joseph Duplessis. There are also several beautiful 18th century Flemish and French tapestries displayed on the walls of the Chateau.
Built between 1932 and 1935 by the late Allan P. Kirby ’15, the Chateau remains an integral part of Lafayette’s architectural history. The Chateau was designed by architect Donald F. Innes of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. and is a pristine example of Norman French architecture.
Kirby used the Chateau from 1967 on as his own personal residence when he was at Lafayette for college business. The Chateau was presented to the College in 1984 by the F.M. Kirby Foundation. Today it is used for faculty, alumni, and other private events.