The interbellum: 1937

1937 proved to be a prolific year.

In this post I am including some pictures with memorials.

One is to Anto Carte. I found him to be a remarkable artist. As mentioned in the plaque, he is the founder of the “Nervia” group, to foster Walloon art. In Brussels, Anto Carte designed the eight stained glass windows representing the life of Jesus in the Koekelberg Basilica.

The other memorial is about Victor de Laveye, a Belgian politician who, according to the memorial, invented the “V” sign (victory) that Churchill used during WW2.

Among the architects signatures displaying the year 1937 the one by J.B. Dewin could disappear soon. This signature can be seen now in one of the façades of the “Edith Cavell” clinic (rue Marie Depage). But the clicnic will be demolished and replaced by an appartment building, so this signature might be lost.

Another architect’s signature is worthwile to be mentioned. It is the one of Georges Troffaes. The pictures depicts what it is called a “plaque de notoriété”. This link points the reader to a picture of a similar “plaque de notoriété” from 1931 of the same architect, of in a house in Yvoir (Belgium).

Finally the picture with the “Anno Domini MCMXXVII” can be seen in the façade of a convent of nuns in rue Langeveld.

(architect J.B. Dewin)

Viewty

The interbellum: 1935 – 2 (monuments and memorials)

Some of the the pictures included in this post remember us of people who either lived in Brussels or had some connections with the city or the Brussels’ Region.

The memorial to Fernando Pessoa is located close to Place Flagey in Ixelles, an area known by the many Portuguese cafés and restaurants. Queen Astrid of Belgium appears prominently in this post. She died in 1935. Three pictures are of a memorial close to the Royal Palace in Laeken. The fourth one is of a memorial in Kraainem, a Flemish municipality bordering the Brussels Region. I have also added a picture of a memorial to Queen Astrid in Ixelles.

Then there is a picture displaying the year 1935 at “Palais 5” of the Heysel Plateau . This exhibition hall was built for the Brussels International Exposition of 1935.

I also made a picture of a plaque of a school built in 1935 in the Rue des Capucins, a side the very popular “Rue Haute” and “Rue Blaes”. Finally there is also a picture of the plaque indicating the year of completion of the Hôpital Saint Pierre in Brussels. This building was designed by architect Dewin.

Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa

Plaque mentioning the death of P. Dautzenberg in 1935

Monument to Queen Astrid in Laeken

Detail of monument to Queen Astrid

Detail of monument to Queen Astrid

Monument to Queen Astrid in Kraainem

Detail of the façade of Palais 5 at the Heysel Plateau

Plaque building Rue des Capucins

Plaque building Rue des Capucins

Plaque building Rue des Capucins

Plaque at Hôpital Saint Pierre

 

The Interbellum: 1934

Similarly to 1933 it was easy to find houses built on that year or plaques and memorials displaying that year.

The first picture displays the year 1934 and the name of J.B. Dewin with the words “arch.” (architect) and “bouwm.” (bouwmeester), which is the dutch word for architect.  We have thus here a bilingual architect signature. I also found interesting the fact that after the year 1934 a dot has been placed. This signature can be seen on the façade of the town hall of the Brussels municipality of Forest / Vorst. Here is a link to Wikipedia with a nice picture of this building

The Interbellum: 1932 – 2

This is a follow-up to my previous post on 1932? which included pictures of the church of Saint Jean-Baptiste in Molenbeek.

This post displays pictures of architects signatures, some of them famous ones (Dewin, De Lestré, Van Meulecom). A picture with a building by Jasinski (with the corresponding signature) also appears in the post.

The reader will also notice the plaque (in French) mentioning 1932 as the year when construction of the church of Sainte Suzanne in Schaarbeek (see picture) was completed. Interesting to note is that this is one of the three Brussels churches built in concrete, the two others are Saint Jean Baptiste in Molenbeek (see my post on 1932) and Saint Augustin in Forest.

There is also a picture depicting the year 1932. It is from the façade of a school in Saint-Gilles.

Worthwhile mentioning also is the signature of architect Troffaers

The Interbellum: 1927

 

1927 seems to be an “easy” year. When preparing this post I noticed that there were a number of pictures of houses from famous architects. For example J.B. Dewin is represented with pictures from the Edith Cavell Hospital in Uccle. There is also a picture of a house by Albert Roosenboom located in the Avenue Winston Churchill, also in Uccle.

There is also a picture with a memorial displaying the years 1827 and 1927. In 1827 the Belgian novelist Charles De Coster was born.

I also include in this post pictures I took of the pulpit in the “La Cambre” Chruch. The year 1927 is displayed.

 

Pulpit in the church of “Abbaye de la Cambre”

Pulpit in the church of “Abbaye de la Cambre”

Pulpit in the church of “Abbaye de la Cambre”

Detail in façade of Edith Cavell Hospital

Detail in façade of Edith Cavell Hospital

Signature of J.B. Dewin in Edith Cavell Hospital

Social housing building by architect Diongre (before renovation)

Social housing building by architect Diongre (before renovation)

House by architect Gaston Brunfaut

House by architech F. Van Meulecom in Anderlecht (Av. du Roi Soldat)

House by A. Roosenboom

House by A. Roosenboom

Memorial mentioning Charles De Coster

The interbellum: 1922

In this post the reader will find a number of interesting pictures.

One of them shows a plaque indicating the house where Roberto J. Payró lived in  Brussels from 1909 to 1922. He was correspondent for an Argentinean newspaper and covered World War I while in Brussels.

Two other pictures are about Count Charles Woeste. He died in 1922. He was a prominent figure of the “Catholic Party”. This is in contrast with his education: he attended a non-confessional school (Royal Atheneum of Brussels) and he was made Doctor in Law at the “Université Libre de Bruxelles”, a university founded by a group of free masons, as a counterweight to the “Université Catholique de Louvain.”

Another prominent Belgian figure who died in 1922 was Ernest Solvay. He was an industrialist who founded the Solvay Group. He became very much involved in the advancement of sciences (see my post on 1911, year of the first Solvay Physics Conference). In the monument that apperars in this post he is remembered as the founder of the Comité National (1914-1918). The “Comité National de Secours et d’Alimentation” (Committee for Relief in Belgium) was the organisation, set-up by a number of prominent Belgians,  to provide food to the Belgian population during World War I.  There is a another monument to E. Solvay in the neighbourhood of Solvay’s headquarters in Brussels.

House in Uccle by architect F. van Meulecom built in 1922

Façade of house by architect F. van Meulecom, built in 1922

Signature of J.B. Dewin on a house built in 1922 in rue meyerbeer in Uccle

The year 1922 depicted on the façade of the stadium of the “Union Saint-Gilloise”

House with a “Dutch gable” displaying the year 1922

Memorial to the house where Count Charles Woeste lived (and in died 1922)

Detail of the monument to Charles Woeste in the neighbourhood of the chuch of St. Boniface

Memorial in the house where Argentinian journalist R. Payró lived

Monument to Ernest Solvay, located in the neighbourhood of the “Univesité Libre de Bruxelles”

House by architect Van Ruykensvelde built in 1922

The years before World War I: 1904

The series continues…

In this gallery the reader will notice that there is a picture of a house built by architect Jean-Baptiste Dewin. Well, you have the possibility to stay there as it is a “bed and breakfast” establishment called “Bed and Breakfast Leopold II”.

As regards history, in 1904 the Belgian comics book creator Edgard Jacobs was born. Among the most popular comic series he created we count Blake and Mortimer.

House displaying the year 1904 in roman numerals

House of 1904 by arch. JB Dewin (located in Bld. Léopold II)

Signature of arch JB Dewin (house located in Bld Leopold II)

House by arch. A. Jeannin built in 1904

House built in 1904 by arch. H. Jamotte in rue Franz Merjay

House by architect P. Collart built in 1904

The years before World War I: 1910

Here is a sample of houses built in the year 1910.

House built in 1910

House built in 1910

House by J.B. Dewin built in 1910

House built by J. and L. Cappette built in 1910

House built in 1910

House built in 1910

House built in 1910

The years before World War I: 1912

And here a few pictures with houses dated 1912.

Note the picture with the nameS of architect Paul Hamesse and Jean-Baptiste Dewin. 

As for history, in 1912 a walloon socialist Jules Destrèe published an article in the “Revue de Belgique” of 15 August 1912 where he wrote “In Belgium there are Walloons and Flemings. There are no Belgians.”

House by architect Paul Hamesse, dated 1912

House by architect A. Everaerts, dated 1912

House by Jean Baptiste Dewin, dated 1912

House by architect F. Denaye, dated 1912

House by Pierre De Gieter, dated 1912

 

 

The (photographic) hunt for owls continues!

Owls in a facade in Avenue Molière

Facade with owls in Avenue Molière

Definitely, owls are ubiquitous in Brussels. When walking through the streets of Brussels in one of my hunts for owls (and other creatures) I found this magnificent pair (or couple) of owls perched on the facade of an equally gorgeous art nouveau house in the Avenue Molière, in the section belonging to the commune of Forest/Vorst.

I do not know the name of the architect who designed the house but the house has the looks of those designed by Jena Baptiste Dewin. Perhaps readers could help me in finding the name of the architect and the year the house was built.