Architecture walk: Art Nouveau & Art Deco
03 August 2026
© visit.brussels - Jean-Paul Remy
Brussels at the turn of the 20th century
With Victor Horta as its figurehead, Brussels boasts a wealth of Art Nouveau and Art Deco treasures. We cannot deny that it was heart-breaking to make a selection, as the capital is full of treasures erected during this era.
This itinerary takes you from Forest to Ixelles via Saint-Gilles for a trip back to the booming era that stretches from the late 19th century to the first half of the 20th century.
Stage 1
The houses hidden in the "Forest"
Art Nouveau
Starting point (and we’re starting strong!): 5 Avenue du Mont Kemmel, in Forest, the home of architect Arthur Nelissen, also known as Villa Beau-Site. It is an incredible Art Nouveau building from 1905 and in its middle is one of the most beautiful bay windows in Brussels (together with the window in Gustave Strauven's Maison Saint-Cyr on Square Ambiorix).
Join Rue Marconi, where you’ll find a lot of eclectic and Art Nouveau social housing at number 32 designed by Léon Govaerts, at number 34 designed by Émile Hellemans and at numbers 38-40-42, designed by Henri Jacobs. Continue to number 121 for a small departure from this itinerary with La Magneto Belge, the first Art Deco building along the route, a factory built in 1941 by Léon Guiannotte and specialising in aircraft engines and ignition magnetos.
Turn back to Rue Rodenbach and return to Art Nouveau with the Rodenbach school, opened in 1911 at numbers 37 and 39 and designed by Henri Jacobs (the same architect as the Marconi houses). Further down, at numbers 14 to 22 and 27 to 35, you’ll find the workers' houses and the dwellings designed by architects Charles De Quecker and Alphonse Hannaert in 1903. In a more eclectic style but still influenced by Art Nouveau, they remind us that this movement was not just an artform limited to the bourgeoisie. Some people know the story of the Maison du Peuple, built between 1896 and 1898 by Victor Horta for the Belgian Workers' Party near the Sablon. It was an incredible Art Nouveau masterpiece but was unfortunately destroyed in 1965.
© visit.brussels - Jean-Paul Remy
© visit.brussels - Jean-Paul Remy
Étape 2
A little detour to Saint-Gilles
Art Nouveau
Head to Rue Antoine Bréart (welcome to Saint-Gilles!) to admire the sculpture workshop of Jacques Sermon and Henri Pletinckx that dates back to 1900 and was designed by Richard Pringiers. Although its ground floor was modified to become a garage, a renovation re-highlighted the first floor and the fresco above the garage. On the same street, at number 101, is a superb 1906 house of white brick enhanced with blue stone. It’s the work of the architect Paul Vizzavona. At number 95 is the Yseux house, designed by Fritz Seeldrayers and built by the architect in 1901 at the request of his mother-in-law, Mrs Yseux.
Walk along Avenue Jef Lambeaux to number 12, where the Peerebom family home was built in 1898, commissioned by the father, Antoine, and designed by his architect son, Georges. If you feel like it, you can continue and admire the imposing Saint-Gilles town hall at the end of the street. Built between 1900 and 1904, it was designed by architect Albert Dumont in a French neo-Renaissance style.
Turn around, head to Place Antoine Delporte 17 and have a look at the asymmetrical white house designed by Paul Hamesse in 1907. Back into Forest and, at 25 rue Henri Wafelaerts, the Geubel house, designed by Louis Couprié in 1907, that looks as if it came straight out of a fairy tale. Further on, and in a more sombre style, at number 53 you’ll find the clinic of Doctor Van Neck, the first work of architect Antoine Pompe, built in 1910. Certain aspects of this Art Nouveau building prefigure the architecture of the interwar period.
Join Avenue de la Jonction. At numbers 11 and 13 is a more eclectic set of two asymmetrical houses designed by Paul Le Clerc in 1902. Take the next street, Rue Félix Delhasse and at number 24, you’ll find an imposing house designed by Emile Lambot in 1905, heavily influenced by the style of Victor Horta.
Turn around (yes, again!), to go back onto Avenue de la Jonction. At the corner of the Hannon block with, at number 1, the incredible Hannon House, an Art Nouveau masterpiece that has just been renovated and is due to reopen to the public on 31 May 2023. Built between 1902 and 1903, this is the only Art Nouveau style building designed by architect Jules Brunfaut (one of the architects of La Bourse). Just next door is Les Hiboux, which dates from 1899 and was the brainchild of Edouard Pelseneer (whose father, Henri, was one of the great Art Nouveau furniture-makers in Brussels, notably for Victor Horta). As you will have guessed, the house takes its name from the two nocturnal birds located on the roof and found on the sgraffito of the impost. It was following the architect's first Art Nouveau creation that the painter Fernand Khnopff asked him to design his house and studio.
Just next door, at 53 Avenue Brugmann, is an eclectic facade with hints of Art Nouveau. (And, at 51, a facade influenced by the Flemish neo-Renaissance style).
Stage 3
Horta at last!
Art Nouveau
Admire a series of magnificent facades, as you cross Avenue Brugmann to reach number 80, the house and studio of the sculptor Fernand Dubois, which was created by Victor Horta (yes, finally him!). Built between 1901 and 1903, the building is now occupied by the Cuban Embassy in Belgium. Continue on to numbers 120, 122 and 124 to see a set of two town houses and a 1904 Art Nouveau-style mansion, attributed to the firm of architect Ernest Blerot. Turn around (yes, again!) and go to the studio of sculptor and painter Louise de Hem at 15-17 Rue Darwin, a double building consisting of an artist's studio from 1902 and a town house from 1905. These buildings were also designed by architect Ernest Blerot.
At 4 Rue de la Réforme stands the studio and home of painter Géo Bernier, dating from 1902 and created by French architect Alban Chambon. At number 74 is the former home and studio of painter George Lemmers, built in 1904 by Charles Gabriel in an eclectic style mixed with Art Nouveau.
© visit.brussels - Jean-Paul Remy
Make your way on to 85 Rue de Washington, to see the Vinck house, a bourgeois Art Nouveau town house with a very sober and geometrical facade, designed by Victor Horta and built in 1906. In 1927, Adrien Blomme added a storey to the building and modified the facade. Another of Horta's creations is the house of writer and art critic Sander Pierron, a friend of the architect, built in 1903 at 157 rue de l'Aqueduc. At 92 Rue Africaine you’ll find a superb geometrical Art Nouveau house, designed by Benjamin De Lestrée de Fabribeckers in 1905.
© visit.brussels - Eric Danhier
© visit.brussels - Eric Danhier
At 24 Rue Américaine, you arrive at one of the holy grails of the Art Nouveau style: the Horta Museum. Designed by the architect, it was built between 1898 and 1901 and is divided in two, housing the family home on one side and the architect's office on the other. It was acquired by the commune of Saint-Gilles and transformed into a museum in 1969. We strongly encourage you to visit it. It’s the perfect opportunity to see what is hidden behind those beautiful facades. It’s also an opportunity to remember that Art Nouveau went beyond architectural art and was involved in even the smallest details. You will not regret your visit.
Have you had your fill? Please note that after seeing this Art Nouveau marvel, some facades may seem a little bland or basic (but there are yet more treasures to come!).
Stage 4
Even more gems
Art Nouveau
Set off towards 71 Rue Defacqz to admire the home of the architect Paul Hankar. Built in 1893, it’s considered a manifesto of Art Nouveau. At number 50 (welcome to Ixelles!), you’ll find the private mansion of painter René Janssens, built in 1898 by Hankar and whose plans were inspired by the Albert Ciamberlani mansion. Located at number 48, this other Art Nouveau jewel was designed a year earlier, again by Hankar (the architect designed a great many houses in Saint-Gilles and Forest). At 83 Rue de Livourne, you can admire the surprising home of the architect Van Rysselberghe, an eclectic Art Nouveau-inspired building constructed in 1912. Its facade draws from the mediaeval tradition, the Renaissance and the Baroque style.
© visit.brussels
© visit.brussels - Eric Danhier
At 6 Rue Janson is another gem of Art Nouveau in Brussels: the Tassel Hotel, one of the first buildings to be designed by Victor Horta, built between 1892 and 1893. This town house is considered the founding work of Art Nouveau in Brussels.
Not far away, architecture enthusiasts are spoilt at the CIVA, at 55 Rue de l'Ermitage. This former secondary electricity plant in Ixelles, built in 1895 in an eclectic style by architect Emile Devreux, is a museum, an archive, a library, and a place for meetings and discussions for those passionate about architecture, landscape, the urban ecosystem and history in Brussels.
© visit.brussels - Jean-Michel Byl
© visit.brussels - Jean-Paul Remy
At 224 Avenue Louise stands the incredible Hôtel Solvay, a breath-taking Art Nouveau building also entrusted to Horta, who was given carte blanche to design it. While the structural work was completed in 1898, the interior finishings took until 1903. Next stop is the (not very imaginative) Hotel de Brouckère, designed by architects Octave Van Rysselberghe and Henry van de Velde in 1898 at the corner of Rue Crayer and Rue Jordaens. On Rue de Belle-Vue, you can see an Art Nouveau architectural ensemble of town houses, again designed by Ernest Blerot, at numbers 30 & 32, and 42, 44 and 46.
Another Art Nouveau jewel designed by Horta is the mansion commissioned by lawyer and politician Max Hallet at 346 Avenue Louise. Construction was completed in 1904, but it is more conventional than the previous buildings. Visits are possible but be aware that the original furniture has not been preserved. Head to the Ixelles Ponds and, at 6 Rue du Lac, the workshop of master glassmaker Sterner. Designed by architect Ernest Delune in 1902, the studio was, of course, adorned with splendid stained-glass windows by Sterner himself. Further down, at numbers 38 and 39 Avenue Général de Gaulle, on the outskirts of the ponds, stand two Art Nouveau town houses dating from 1904 and designed by the architect Ernest Blerot.
Stage 5
The arrival of Art Deco
Art Deco
Time to move on to Place Flagey, one of the lively centres of Ixelles, where you’ll see the unmissable Flagey building. There’s a definite change of atmosphere in this, the former National Broadcasting Institute (INR) with its typical (modernist) liner style, inspired by Art Deco and built between 1935 and 1938 by Joseph Diongre. Today, Flagey hosts concerts, music and film festivals, exhibitions and more. It’s a real art centre that adds to the life of the square, softened by the ponds that border it. If you want, you can sit by the water or have a drink in the very popular Belga café or one of the other establishments that line the square, before continuing your journey to discover Art Deco buildings.
And the Art Deco trip begins with the former maternity ward of Ixelles hospital at 20, 22 and 26 Rue Cuissiez, designed by the architect Jean-Baptiste Dewin and built circa 1930-1935. Time for a quick return to the eclecticism influenced by Art Nouveau with the bourgeois house at 36 Boulevard Général Jacques. Attributed to architect Henri Van Dievoet, some refer to it as "The Green House". At number 20 is the Résidence de la Cambre, a large luxury apartment building inspired by New York Art Deco, designed by Marcel Peeters and built in 1937.
Just a few short steps away, at the Étoile roundabout, is another Art Deco complex, the Folle Chanson Palace (you could't make it up!). Built by Antoine Courtens (a student of Horta) between 1928 and 1931, the building is particularly striking for its semi-circular rotunda and the height of the building, which was built to better fit around the corner of the street. Also note the star-shaped campanile, which is typical of Courtens’ style. Still on the roundabout, at 2-4 Avenue Congo, you’ll find the Congo Palace, an Art Deco apartment building dating from 1930 and designed by Jean-Florian Collin. Next door, on the following corner, lies the modernist Ernestine residence, inaugurated in 1936 and also designed by Jean-Florian Collin. Another imposing Art Deco building is the Palais de la Cambre (not to be confused with the residence) at 62-68 Avenue Emile Duray. It’s a series of five luxury apartment buildings designed by the architect Camille Damman and built between 1925 and 1930.
© visit.brussels - Jean-Michel Byl
© visit.brussels - Jean-Michel Byl
© visit.brussels - Eric Danhier
© visit.brussels - Eric Danhier
Finally (yes, finally!), it’s time to make your way to Villa Empain. Yes, you have to walk a bit, but it is well worth it. This Art Deco jewel was built by Swiss architect Michel Polack at the request of Baron Louis Empain, who was aged just 21 at the time! Built between 1931 and 1934, the building now houses the Boghossian Foundation, a centre for art and dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures. This is an opportunity to explore the premises. Enjoy your visit!
The garden city
Another other early 20th century trend
With their blend of urbanism and architecture, garden cities, which appeared in England at the end of the 19th century, took root in Belgium at the beginning of the 20th century before experiencing a real boom after the First World War. Brussels has more than 30 of these cities.
© Alina Cravotta
Accommodation
