Do the surroundings here on Boulevard de l’Espérance not quite evoke hope? Amidst the noise, industrial remnants, and concrete towers, it takes imagination to picture this area as one of Marseille’s most beautiful properties with a lake and city view. Yet, you’re standing in the heart of what was once the magnificent estate of l’Espérance.
Once, hundreds of bastides dotted Marseille’s landscape. Some remain nearly intact, while others fade into oblivion. Many vanished completely, like l’Espérance. Today only vestiges of an enclosure wall remain. The name of the public park recalls it. Some centuries-old olive trees and the nearby Traverse Decormis also serve as a reminder. That name evokes the family who owned this land for centuries.
In 1803, Joseph-Antoine Decormis a wealthy Marseille merchant bought land here. He expanded a domain his family already possessed around 1700. The Decormis family hailed from old Provence with roots dating back to the 13th century. They distinguished themselves in commerce. They traded notably in oil and sugar. By 1837, Decormis Frères ranked among Marseille’s top seven sugar refining companies. The family also owned a soap factory.
The Napoleonic cadastre of 1820 shows vineyards, olive groves, and arable land on l’Espérance. Two farms, a stable, and a manor house also stood here. The Decormis family used the traverse bearing their name to reach their estate. It led from the road connecting Marseille to Le Canet to the domain’s entrance. The entrance was once behind the Villa Antoine. The construction of the highway swallowed this entrance.
Throughout the 19th century, the Decormis family enlarged their property. They created a landscaped view from the cemetery path to the south. That path is now Boulevard Charles Moretti. They uprooted vines to create a long equestrian avenue. It ran from the new southern entrance toward the hilltop manor house. With the arrival of running water from the Canal de Marseille, the Decormis family planted trees. They even created a lake near the manor house. At its peak, the estate spanned over 11 hectares. It included several buildings, two bastides, a farm and the main house. The house called l’Espérance had around 1000 square meters of space and 12 bedrooms. The Decormis family even had a private chapel attached to their home.
Like other wealthy Marseille merchants, the family retreated to l’Espérance whenever possible. A country estate signaled wealth. It also represented a way of life.
In 1869, the property narrowly avoided being divided. As the estate was about to be split between Lazare Decormis’s two heirs, Marie Decormis perished in a shipwreck. Her brother Louis Decormis inherited the entire family property. In the early 1890s, he transformed the family home into a healthcare facility. It specialized in treating nervous and mental illnesses. A new bastide known as Villa Antoine was built. It is the only structure that has survived.
In 1918, the children of Louis and Adèle Decormis decided to sell the property. Victor Régis, the owner of neighboring oil mills purchased it.
The construction of the highway after World War II irrevocably scarred the park. It split it in two. However, the Villa l’Espérance remained intact until the late 1960s. In the 1970s, the building was gradually abandoned. It became a ruin.
In 1980, the city of Marseille granted permission to demolish the bastide. The plan was to replace it with housing. This would create more living space. In 1983, the building was completely razed. Several centuries of history vanished under the machinery. The real estate project never materialized. Only in 1989 was it decided to transform the park into a public garden. The splendid manor house was needlessly destroyed. Social housing now covers it. Nearby, the Decormis family’s olive trees still bear fruit. They have done so for two centuries. They stand as living witnesses to a bygone era.
L’Espérance is gone. Yet in the distance, the Frioul archipelago and the great blue sea still mingle. They compose the timeless landscape once enjoyed by the inhabitants of this forgotten estate.