Description

This Art Deco villa, built for the wealthy baron Louis Empain, is situated between Franklin Roosevelt and Victoria Avenues, accessed by wrought-iron gates between blue-limestone posts. To the rear, outbuildings house stables, staff accommodation, and garages. In the middle of a garden, the main building relates directly to a large pool surrounded by a pergola. It is organised around a two-level square hall, topped by a skylight. On the garden side, it opens onto a large oblong space containing the living and dining rooms. To the right, there is a grand staircase that faces a second living room. The floor is completed by two offices on the street side and service areas: waiting room, cloakroom, pantry, and two secondary staircases.

The first floor features a gallery on four columns that serves four bedrooms with private bathrooms. The second floor is recessed on all sides and accessed only by a service staircase. It houses the servants’ bedrooms and a solarium. The basement accommodates various service spaces: kitchen, boiler, and storage rooms. The interior materials are luxurious: marble, wrought iron, exotic wood, moulded ceilings, tapestries, and mirrors. On the outside, the entrance steps are topped by a brass canopy. The three-level façades are lined with polished granite, and surmounted by a copper roof. The window openings are bordered with gilded brass and their metal frames are finely profiled.

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Originally published in: Gérald Ledent, Alessandro Porotto, Brussels Housing. Atlas of Residential Building Types, Birkhäuser, 2023.