Antwerp’s Liberal People's House
Address Volkstraat 40
City/Neighborhood Antwerp
Style(s)
- Art Nouveau
- Floral Art Nouveau
Original use
- Shop
- Show venue
Année 1901
Architect(s) and/or artist(s)
- Van Asperen Jan
- Van Averbeke Emiel
Remarkable elements
- Mosaics
- Ironwork
- Sculpture
The Antwerp Art Nouveau masterpiece, designed by architects Jan Van Asperen and Emiel Van Averbeke in 1901, for the liberal cooperative “Help U Zelve” (Help yourself).
Large building which housed an industrial bakery, a bread store, party rooms, conference rooms, performance rooms, etc.
After 1945 the building was sold to Bell Telephone, at which time the entire interior was destroyed and modernized for the company's needs.
The facade, fortunately, was saved and listed in 1974. The building, renovated in 1989, has since housed a Steiner school.
The facade brings together the most creative, exuberant and artistic elements of Art Nouveau, built in bricks and sculpted hard stone.
A large horseshoe arch window, steel frame and beams, is bordered by a large guardrail with geometric ironwork.
Other ironwork adorns balconies and windows, up to the ridge of the two triangular towers which end in two stone sculptures topped with rich metal scrolls.
Superb mosaics further add to this masterful work. They represent Work (extracting and transporting materials) on the large panel above the rounded window, while four smaller panels illustrate the sower, the carpenter, the stonemason and the metalworker.
The whole is in fairly good condition, but deserves continued attention in order to properly preserve the most fragile parts.
ANT35 - Unless otherwise stated © www.admirable-artnouveau.be for all photos