TUNISIA HOUSE

In 1947, when Tunisia was still a French protectorate, the Cité internationale first broached the subject of this project with the Minister of public education in Tunisia, and six years later, in 1953, the building was opened. The deed of gift was signed by the Bey of Tunis in the presence of the President of France. 

Tunisia House was designed by the architect Jean Sebag, who worked on a characteristically 1950s design with two wings intersecting at a right angle. When it opened its doors, the features of the building that drew the most attention were its interior design and its furniture, designed by Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé, Alain Richard, Marcel Gascoin and Pierre Faucheux. Painter Sonia Delaunay worked on the curtains in the main hall. 

Tunisia House originally comprised 126 rooms as well as common areas on the ground floor. In the 1970s the common areas were turned into additional rooms in order to meet the growing need for student housing. For this same reason, the south wing of the building was extended in the 1980s, bringing the total number of rooms to 199. In 2006, the government of Tunisia decided to renovate the house completely, restoring the common areas and adding private bathrooms to each room. The house has been closed for these renovations.