Chateau d'Hauteville
A Global Hub for Leadership and Learning
Nestled in the hills above Vevey, Switzerland, with unparalleled views of Lake Geneva
and the Swiss, Italian, and French Alps, the historic Chateau d'Hauteville will serve
our Pepperdine community on this stunning international campus.
Providing students with a world-class educational facility for transformative study-abroad experiences that will function as a venue for international conferences, events, retreats, and lectures, the chateau will create countless opportunities for meaningful global connections and cultural exchange.
Once fully renovated, this 18th-century estate will have the capacity to accommodate 84 undergraduate students and 30 graduate students per semester—increasing Pepperdine's current undergraduate international program in Lausanne by 18 students. Chateau d'Hauteville is slated to open its doors to its first group of students in the fall of 2023, ultimately replacing the Lausanne facility altogether.
“The Chateau d'Hauteville is one of Switzerland's finest castles, a unique European gem, and I am incredibly proud that Pepperdine University was entrusted to own and care for it for the coming generations. I look forward to the autumn of 2023 when we open the gates of the chateau to welcome students to one of the most life-changing years of their lives!”
— Ezra Plank, Lausanne Program Director
A Look Around Chateau d'Hauteville
This majestic estate was held by the Grand d'Hauteville family from the time it was built in the 1760s until its purchase by Pepperdine in November of 2019. One of the largest and most prestigious properties in the region, the chateau features 38,000 square feet of living space on 67 acres of land. Hundred-year-old trees, picturesque pathways, vineyards, French-style formal gardens, stone-carved fountains, and woodland forests surround the grounds.
The crown-jewel chateau is one of the finest in all of Switzerland and has been given the country's highest protected designation as a Class 1 Historic Monument. There is no other historic castle with an accompanying estate in such a remarkable location in all of Switzerland—the Hauteville property truly stands alone.
The University is committed to preserving the heritage and historic character of this
breathtaking manor, while upgrading the infrastructure and creating modern living
accommodations for our students, faculty, and campus visitors. All of the chateau
renovations are being guided by a commission of historic remodeling experts, as well
as experts in sustainable restoration practices and techniques. The history of this
magnificent estate, and the family who occupied it, will provide our students and
educators with countless examples—across a wide range of disciplines—of the artistic,
philosophical, religious, and political forces that shaped much of the modern world.
The Renovation Process
The Orangerie is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2023, and the chateau will be completed in summer 2023 for a fall 2023 campus opening.
Mark your calendars and join us for the chateau's grand opening July 4-5, 2023.
The first phase of renovations began in the spring of 2020 and is devoted to the restoration of the estate's two primary buildings: the chateau and the Orangerie.
The main building of the historic chateau will become a living and learning center for our undergraduate students. It will include classrooms, study areas, recreational and community spaces, a small dining room, an administrative center, and a faculty apartment on the ground floor (with additional community rooms on the lower level). The student bedrooms, along with more study spaces, will be located on the second and third floors.
Adjacent to the chateau, the Orangerie (a dedicated building where the estate's orange
and fruit trees were protected during the winter) will be renovated to include a professional
full-service kitchen, a grand dining hall, single-occupancy bedrooms for graduate
students, and a graduate faculty apartment.
For more information on naming and funding opportunities contact Kathy Walecki, executive assistant to the chancellor, at 310.506.4443 or kathy.walecki@pepperdine.edu