Auguste Cadet (1881-1956)

Auguste–Cadet (1811-1956), who prepared the initial design of the Sultan’s palace in Ifrane, was among the most prominent architects of colonial-era Morocco. Born in Lyon in 1881, he was trained at the École des beaux-arts in Paris. Cadet’s career in Morocco spanned almost the entirety of the colonial era, bookended by his arrival in Casablanca at the end of World War I (1914-18) and Moroccan Independence in 1956.

Cadet’s many well-known works in Morocco , designed in collaboration with fellow architect Edmond Brion (1885-1973) include the famous Quartier Habous in Casablanca and the Bank al-Maghrib in Rabat. Cadet also collaborated with the well-known architect of several colonial-era Moroccan cities, Henri Prost (1874-1959).

His drawings and documents are today held in the Centre d’Archives d’Architecture Contemporaine  in Paris, France.

Source: https://archiwebture.citedelarchitecture.fr/archive/fonds/FRAPN02_CADET

Cadet’s Drawings

Cadet’s original drawings for the palace are today housed in the Centre d’Archives d’Architecture Contemporaine, where they are stored a red leather folder decorated in the style of a luxurious Moroccan manuscript binding, including an ”envelope flap”, a decorative gold border, and black leather pendants.

The drawings themselves, copies of which are on display here, differ considerably from the palace that was ultimately built. We learn from the archival documents that accompany the drawings that after an initial plan was laid out, after 1952 the remainder of the construction was completed by someone else and that much of Cadet’s original design was disregarded.

The Palace exterior

This section of the exhibit displays images and video from the palace’s exterior. These images come from the M6L Archives & Special Collections, Cadet’s file at the Centre d’Archives d’Architecture Contemporaine, and other sources. Cadet’s original design, which drew influence from Italian villas and French chateaus, was replaced by a more modern design.

This video (click link or scan QR code) documents a family vacation to Ifrane and the surrounding region in 1961.  The clip of the film that can be viewed by scanning the QR code here shows a group children beside Ifrane lion, before panning to the left where you can see the full façade of the Royal Palace. Now that the tree line has grown up, it is no longer visible from the road.

Video Source: https://www.ina.fr/ina-eclaire-actu/video/amx13001745/promenade-en-famille-autour-d-ifrane

The Palace Interior

This section of the exhibit includes images and video from within the palace. The black and white photos come from Cadet’s file at the Centre d’Archives d’Architecture Contemporaine and were taken in 1941.

Additional color images from the palace interior were taken during the inauguration of Al Akhawayn University in January 1995, when King Hassan II (d.1999) welcomed guests to the palace after visiting AUI. Additional videos of the interior come from different news outlets on French television.

This video of the palace interior was taken just after the inauguration of Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (15 January 1995), when His Majesty King Hassan II invited the international dignitaries who had attended the inauguration to visit the palace. It originally broadcast of public media in Morocco but this copy is digitized from a video cassette recording of the broadcast, today held in the M6L Archives & Special Collections .

M6L Archives & Special Collections Items

Below is a gallery of postcards and items relating to the Royal Palace. These items come from postcard collections of the M6L Archives & Special Collections “Ifrane & Middle Atlas Collections”. The entire postcard collection is digitized and available online through the Al Akhawayn Digital Repository and Archives (ADRAR): https://adrar.aui.ma/en/dar/ifrane-and-middle-atlas-postcard-collection