La Maison de Santé in Nogent

Beauford spent the Christmas holidays of 1961 and twenty (20) days in May 1962 at the private psychiatric institution called La Maison de Santé de Nogent-sur-Marne.

In Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney, biographer David Leeming recounts that:

On December 20 Solange du Closel and her husband drove Beauford to the Nogent clinic where he was placed under the care of the well-known psychiatrist Dr. Ferdière, whose specialty was depression.

La Maison de Santé — the "Health House" — can still be found on the quiet rue de Plaisance in the eastern Paris suburb of Nogent-sur-Marne.

Street sign
© Entrée to Black Paris

It is a much smaller facility than the Hôpital Sainte-Anne, where Beauford spent the last four years of his life. (I recently learned that Dr. Ferdière worked at Sainte-Anne's for several years during the 1930s, long before Beauford arrived in Paris.)

Last week I visited the clinic for the first time and took photos of the campus.

The entrance is nondescript overall, with the only distinguishing feature being the heavy green door that faces the street.

Entrance to La Maison de Santé
© Entrée to Black Paris

La Maison de Santé - signage
© Entrée to Black Paris

A gate that serves as an ambulance entrance also faces rue de Plaisance.

 Ambulance entrance
© Entrée to Black Paris

Upon entering the facility, you walk past reception into a vast green space that is bordered by buildings on the left. You could easily get the impression that you're in a park and that the treatment facilities are "incidental."

View of buildings adjacent to the lawn
© Entrée to Black Paris

Unfortunately, I have no information about where Beauford's room(s) might have been located.

In-patient buildings
© Entrée to Black Paris

 A gazebo provides a covered space where patients and visitors can smoke.

Gazebo
© Entrée to Black Paris A net was set up for badminton.

Badminton net
© Entrée to Black Paris

Benches in a dense grove at the rear of the property provide space to relax while looking out onto private homes on rue de Coulmiers.

Grove at rear of property
© Entrée to Black Paris  

 Houses on rue de Coulmiers
© Entrée to Black Paris

A garden arbor was mostly bare of foliage, let alone flowers. I wished that I had visited in the spring so I could have seen it at its best.

 

  Garden arbor - side view
© Entrée to Black Paris

One magnificent yellow rose remained. It reminded me of the rose that Silver Wainhouse placed on Beauford's tombstone when she visited Thiais Cemetery and was inspired to write the play Amazing Grace Is Yellow.

Yellow rose
© Entrée to Black Paris  Because Beauford loved yellow roses, seeing this flower made me feel that my visit was complete.