James Baldwin's house in France

A beautiful old villa in the honeyed French town of Saint-Paul-de-Vence may soon be demolished, but there is a strong initiative to preserve it, particularly because its last resident was the influential American writer James Baldwin. Baldwin moved into this house in 1970 to find refuge from the hostility he faced in the U.S. due to his race and homosexuality. From this sanctuary, among palm and orange trees, he could see the Alps to the north and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Most importantly, he could focus on his writing. During his time in southern France, Baldwin was visited by notable figures such as Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald. Every year, Bill Cosby would send him roses for his birthday, adding one more rose each time. Baldwin's Swiss lover, Lucien Happersberger, lived at the gate, and the modernist artist Beauford Delaney often visited his home, frequently painting in the garden. Although parts of the villa have already been destroyed or are crumbling, the writing room remains. There is a lawn where a table once stood, around which Baldwin would converse with friends late into the night. This table inspired the title of Baldwin's unfinished play about a Black American living in southern France - "The Welcome Table." Baldwin never owned the house but was in the process of buying it at the time of his death.

He became a close friend of its owner, Jeanne Faure, and Baldwin's family believes she wanted him to inherit the house after her death. However, he passed away first in December 1987. The house is now owned by a developer who plans to demolish it and build condominiums on the land. Many have made pilgrimages to the house, especially American writers living in France. Memoirist Thomas Chatterton Williams wrote in The New Yorker about his adventure beyond the fence that now protects the house, while writer Shannon Kane lived in it to prevent its destruction. Some groups continue the fight - which is likely to be challenging - to preserve the property and turn it into a writers' retreat. Update February 2018: Construction has begun on the site, and two wings of the villa have been demolished. The site is closed to the public. Activists are making a final attempt to save the house. Currently, there are plans to preserve the historic house but integrate it into a residential complex for luxury apartments.