Mairie de Saint-Gilles, Belgium - City and Town Halls on Waymarking.com

Monumental City Hall in neo-Renaissance style. The neo-Renaissance (from about 1860 to 1914) draws its inspiration from the architecture of the Renaissance, an artistic movement born in Italy in the fifteenth century that sought to resurrect the architecture of the ancient Greco-Roman. French, designed in 1896 by the architect Albert Dumont, in collaboration with the architect Augustus Hebbelynck.

History: In the late nineteenth century, the old communal house situated at the heart of the village of Saint-Gilles had become too small. On the 28.05.1896, the City Council therefore decided to build a town hall in the heart of the South of town. An architectural competition was then held. Of the twenty projects presented that of the architect Albert Dumont, named Consilio manuque, was retained. The Municipal Council approved the plans on 17.03.1898 and 01.11.1899 the work entrusted to the contractor Monnoyer.

Upon start of construction, stability problems appeared. The town hall was indeed to be erected at the site of a former sand quarry. To overcome these difficulties, the left wing and tower were built on a concrete base. The 1st stone was laid on 02.09.1900. The building was inaugurated on 24.07.1904.

On the initiative of the Bourgermestre Louis Morichar, a committee was formed, tasked with leading the embellishment of the facades of allegorical figures of communal life in the form of statues and bas-reliefs. The sculptor Julian Dillens and architect Dumont directed the work of sculpture as well as the luxurious interior. The town hall is classified as a monument since 08.08.1988. The exterior has undergone a recent restoration, from 1990 to 2002, by Architect Paul Willems and G. Bedoret.

Name: Mairie de Saint Gilles Address: Place Van Meenen Bruxelles, Belgium 1060 Date of Construction: 24.07.1904 Architect: Albert Dumont Web Site for City/Town/Municipality: [Web Link] Memorials/Commemorations/Dedications: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/22/2011 nsk visited it