A beatifull detailed building construction set, manufactured and sold in France by Maison Méricant from 1921~1953.
We are researching and record the origin and development of the L’Edifice building sets. If you have any more information you could provide, please help!
Concact details:
Current working assumption are these “Series” below.
First patent issued in October 1917
First patent issued in France (FR505084A) October 1917 and granted April 1924. It’s also patented in Swiss (CH93315A) and Great Britain (GB149726A).
With the first patent, but also with the first wooden prototype, L’Edifice was still using ‘strips’ (Fig.8, part no. 5), for connecting the pillars & columns together. This method is also used with most other wooden pillar systems.
From June 1920, they patented (also) the current system, with beam elements inbetween different floors, instead of strips. It’s very visible on the German patent (DE352706C) and also France (FR23109E), Great Britain (GB193457A) and Swiss (CH100217A).
Series 0: Demonstration model 1920
Prototype series of L’Edifice. It did win a price on the Lépine contest 1920. The complete setup is made out of (painted) wood. From the photo, you could recognize the later models, although a bit alltered on the top row.
Boxes series 1-4:
Image: Google Arts & Culture
With these series, all panels are replaced by printed cardboard panels. The 3 buildings on those photo’s are updated version from the early wooden prototype.
Building
Definately a pleasant and diverse way of building.
Up till all these series:
* 190+ different construction parts and
* 170+ different colored pannels are found!
Special building boxes:
These buildings could be bought in specific boxes:
If you are able to share more information about these special boxes, please get in contact. (Mainly searching for: pictures/scans of the boxes, scans for garage #2 parts and all manuals.)
Special expansions set:
Monuments Historiques a Tours Rondes
Next to the special building boxes, also 2 sets of tower boxes were sold. With these sets even more beatifull models could be build.
Definately one of my favorite L’Edifice series.
Appartements & Meubles, Accessoires and Characters
Around 1931 L’Edifice was expanded with figuriens and decoration. Most likely trying to reach a bigger audience. Around 1934 also flowers and gardening was added:
If you have any colored scans of these characters / accesoires, please let us know.
Series 5: 1934-1938 L’Edifice Moderna
During 1934, the complete game got a mayor update. The amount of different parts are reduced and standard wooden parts are now replaced by yellow and white painted parts.
These newer elements are not (yet) futher digitalized.
Series 6: ..1952-1954..
Around the 50’s L’Edifice was again renewed.
The amount of parts are reduced. Now the horizontal trusses are mode of plastic.
Series 7: ~1982 Reissued
An other attement to bring L’Edifice back to the market. Same concept, but now sold in a plastic blister. All construction parts are wood again.
Example of re-issued L’Edifice box #2.
Part numbering
A very detailed system, which consists of a wooden carrying system, both in horizontal & vertical direction. On top of the vertical trusses, floor panels could be placed. In between the vertical pillars, colorful cardboards could be placed, making these buildings really beautiful. On top of the building, roofs could be added.
The system is very well developed, including a sophisticated numbering system:
Some system characteristics
Here a short list of some system characteristics and how it’s retrofitted into the virtual LeoCAD library:
| Part types: | Original: | Virtual: |
|---|---|---|
| Horizontal trusses | beech wood Height: 20 [mm] Thickness: 4 [mm] | Single color pieces |
| Pillars | beech wood 13×13 | Single color pieces |
| Columns | beech wood 20×20 | Single color pieces |
| Floor panels | Cardboard ~3.3 [mm] thickness | Single color pieces |
| Wall panel elements | Cardboard 50×80 [mm] Thickness varies from: 1, 1.5, 2.25 [mm] | Textured pieces Still not complete, please help! |
| Bay size | 59.5 [mm] (!) | 60 [mm] |
Library information
Construction parts:
Here an impression of most construction parts in the library:
Help request:
Still missing some ‘standard’ construction parts. If you know which parts these are, please let us know.
Textured wall panels
Overview of the early parts around 1924:
Here a couple of walls found sofar, including the series-assumption:
Building with LeoCAD
Model Eglise (No. 53)
Here a nice example of the 5 different series, including transparant wall textures. Do you know, which church this could be?
Hotel De Ville Flamand (No. 56):
Here a nice example how the prototype series transforms into the “series 1” cardboard type.
Castel Sur L’Eau (No. 71):
Does someone reconize this building?
La Cahterdrale (No. 64):
There are basically 2 versions of the Cathedral:
Monuments Historiques a Tours Rondes TR-1, 2 & 3:
Starting to build some round tower models:
- TR-1: Maison Louis_XVI
- TR-2: Maison D’Ambroise Thomas
- TR-3: Castel Renaissance
I wish those scanned pannels would have a simular tints, which makes it more pleasant to view… Anyone who knows a simple way to update all wall pannels, please let me know!
Monuments Historiques a Tours Rondes TR-23:
I wish I could build this amazing model!
To be continued…
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