It was designed in a neoclassical style between 1898 and 1901, by the architects Aaron Messiah and Hans-Georg Tersling, for Victor d'Essling (1836-1910), grandson of the Nice Marshal André Masséna (1758-1817). The gardens were designed by landscaper Édouard André.
It was constructed in place of the Villa Diesbach, built in the mid-19th century in the "troubadour" style for Count Ladislas de Diesbach. Many distinguished guests were received at the villa, like the Tsarevich Nicolas in 1864.
The Villa Masséna was the winter residence of Victor d'Essling. It is the last pageantry villa built on the Promenade, and, with Villa Furtado-Heine, one of the still visible today.
In 1919, the Prince's heir son bequeathed the villa to the City, on condition of making it a museum and opening the gardens to the public. The Masséna Museum was inaugurated in 1921. It is dedicated to the history of Nice. At the top floor of the villa is conserved the library of Chevalier Victor de Cessole.
A vast renovation project, decided by the City of Nice in 2008, enabled to restore the Belle Époque villa, its interior decorations in particular, and to emphasize its historical and artistic collections. The facades and roofs of the Villa Masséna have been listed in the inventory of the Historic Monuments since 1975.