Building
© Fondation CIVA Stichting Brussels
Rue de Roumanie 40, façade (photo 1980)
Rue de Roumanie 40, façade (photo 1980)
© Fondation CIVA Stichting Brussels
Rue de Roumanie 40, detail of the façade still showing the wooden corbels of the shutter cover on the shop front (photo ca. 1975)
Rue de Roumanie 40, detail of the façade still showing the wooden corbels of the shutter cover on the shop front (photo ca. 1975)
Among the neoclassical and eclectic houses lining Rue de Roumanie (formerly known as Rue de Turquie), this building with its geometric Art Nouveau look is somewhat unusual. Designed by Paul Vizzavona in 1905, it was the French architect's first building in Brussels.
The owner, Émile Van Praag, a man of independent means, had the ground floor fitted out as a shop, complete with stylish window onto the street, and the upper floors as apartments.
While the plant-like design of the wrought-iron window guards, and the thin blue limestone supports that seem to be emerging from the façade, betray the influence of Victor Horta, in whose studio Vizzavona served his apprenticeship, that of Paul Hankar can also be felt, particularly in the interplay of coloured bricks and the shape of the door and windows.
The tall façade with its high, wide windows creates the illusion of a spacious interior. Yet the plot is only 6.5 metres deep, with apartments comprising just two small adjoining rooms, and a rear courtyard. The façade has retained its elegant woodwork, wooden glazing bars and stained glass.
Nearby
By the same architect
The owner, Émile Van Praag, a man of independent means, had the ground floor fitted out as a shop, complete with stylish window onto the street, and the upper floors as apartments.
While the plant-like design of the wrought-iron window guards, and the thin blue limestone supports that seem to be emerging from the façade, betray the influence of Victor Horta, in whose studio Vizzavona served his apprenticeship, that of Paul Hankar can also be felt, particularly in the interplay of coloured bricks and the shape of the door and windows.
The tall façade with its high, wide windows creates the illusion of a spacious interior. Yet the plot is only 6.5 metres deep, with apartments comprising just two small adjoining rooms, and a rear courtyard. The façade has retained its elegant woodwork, wooden glazing bars and stained glass.
