Art Deco Descriptive term applied to a style of decorative arts that was widely disseminated in Europe and the USA during the 1920s and 1930s. Derived from the style made popular by the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes held in Paris in 1925, the term has been used only since the late 1960s, when there was a revival of interest in the decorative arts of the early 20th century. Since then the term "Art Deco" has been applied to a wide variety of works produced during the inter-war years, and even to those of the German Bauhaus. But Art Deco was essentially of French origin, and the term should, therefore, be applied only to French works and those from countries directly influenced by France.  answers.com

History In 1931 the Countess of Martel Janville bequeathed a substantial sum of money to the Ministry of War in order to build a sanatorium in memory of his son and for the benefit of French army officers and non-commissioned officers. The construction and management of this institution was entrusted by the Ministry to the Association of Village Sanatorium High Altitude (AVSHA, founded in 1922). It was designed in 1934 by the architects Pol Abraham of Paris (1891-1966) and Henri-Jacques Le Même of Megève (1897-1997) and completed in 1937. The building remained a nursing home until the end of June 2006 when it was sold by the Foundation des Villages de Santé et d’Hospitalisation en Altitude (VSHA) to the current developer. The building is recognised for its exceptional architecture and is on the French DOCOMOMO list with a protection status of “Protectionau titre des Monuments Historiques à l’etude, envisage pour 2005-2006”. For more info and image credits see Philippe Grandvoinnet, DOCOMOMO-FR