Heritage brochure - The archives of the city

EN

the archives of the city, or the repository of the collective memory

O

rigin and development

The Archives of the City of Brussels take up a complex of buildings situated on Rue des Tanneurs, resulting from successive extensions that stretch out in depth as far as Rue Vanderhaegen. The city administration buys the buildings in 1976 and the Archive Service opens its doors in 1979.

The Archives are the repository of the collective memory. Historically archives have always been closely related to power and to those in power: sometimes stored in the seats of power, sometimes travelling with the authorities. Before ending up in Rue des Tanneurs, the Brussels Archives are kept in different places: the St. Michael church (i.e. the current St. Michael cathedral), the tower of the St. Nicholas church, the City Hall and surrounding buildings where a considerable part of the city records are destroyed during the bombardment of Brussels by the troops of Louis XIV in 1695.

The Belgian law of 1955 on archives, recently amended in 2009 stipulates that “archive documents over 30 years old kept by municipalities and by public institutions and subject to their control and administrative surveillance can be deposited with the State Archives”. In practice, municipalities have therefore the right to organize their proper archives, a de facto situation in the largest Belgian cities, all of which is taking place under the watchful eye of the State Archives institution. The role of the Archive Service of the City of Brussels, the largest at municipal level, is to collect, preserve, make an inventory of, communicate and value all documents issued by the Administration of the City of Brussels, since the Middle Ages up to the present day. It has been led by several renowned Belgian historians of national stature.

Initial allocations The first sign of occupation of the building in question dates back to the 16th century: a large house located at that time in a still sparsely populated area, although within the city walls. The abbot and count of Gembloux, whose important responsibilities require a pied-à-terre in Brussels, acquires the property around the middle of the 17th century. It is in fact the building located on the street fronting, at the right-hand side of the entrance and of which you can admire the red bricks from the interior courtyard; it has remained intact. It is flanked by a building — used as stables — that still is in its original condition and is known as the “orangery”. You will also notice the abbey of Gembloux’s coat of arms decorating the frontage of the orangery. Being too large for the abbot alone, who furthermore only resides there occasionally, the property is divided into “quarters”, some of which are reserved for the abbot and run by his housekeeper and his servant and others which are rented out to a main tenant, who over the course of time belongs to an increasingly well-heeled social group. The attic space on the contrary accommodates tenants of very modest means.

Like other great abbeys, the abbey of Gembloux is compelled to contribute to the exhaustive redevelopment of the royal district devised by the authorities at the end of 18th century. It undertakes for its part to buy and refurbish the pavilion situated at the corner of Rue Ducale. To finance these costs, the abbot of Gembloux decides to put up for sale the property located Rue des Tanneurs. The deal will never go through: quite the contrary since the abbot will resell his newly acquired property to banker Walckiers in 1792. The Walckiers pavilion successively becomes the “Hôtel d’Assche” and later the current palace wing of the King’s Civil List.

The building on Rue des Tanneurs, “which by its simplicity is far more convenient and more pleasant than the aforementioned pavilion”, is eventually sold in 1794 to wholesale merchant André Van Gaver while the abbot leaves the city due to the presence of the French armed forces.

The first industrial allocation of the place dates back to the beginning of the 19th century when the buildings are bought by “tanner-currier” Martin Devis. Besides tanning the premises shelter other industrial activities: around 1863, Joseph Kaeckenbeeck sets up his brewery on the parcel that concerns us. Throughout the 19th century the former number 59 on Rue des Tanneurs remains in the hands of several tanners, some of them originating from Germany. The prosperity of the business — in 1871 the building houses no less than a tannery, a tawery, a currying workshop and a leather drying plant! — requires extensions and major changes to the buildings. Since planning permissions do not seem to be granted any time soon, the tannery ceases its activities in 1904... much to the delight of the Waucquez’s who purchase the property half a century later.

The Waucquez’s Since 1830 the Waucquez family is active in the textile industry. The company is growing fast and in 1904, Charles Waucquez buys a house which he razes to the ground. To build his new department store, he calls upon the genius of architect Victor Horta who is then at the pinnacle of his glory. The ancient warehouse now accommodates the Belgian Comic Strip Centre (Rue des Sables, 20).

Charles’ despotic manners are however inacceptable for his brother Jules and his nephew René who decide to set up their own business, “Jules Waucquez et Compagnie” in 1901 on the property of brewer Kaeckenbeeck — which includes a house on the street fronting, a large garden and a brewery giving onto Rue Vanderhaegen. Where the garden is situated, Jules Waucquez asks architect Van Leuven to build the first store looking like a large middle-class house, a two-storey building corresponding to the current main building of the Brussels Archives. The construction is hidden inside the housing block and undergoes successive extensions as the business grows. Over a twenty-year time period Jules Waucquez expands his store on five occasions cleverly merging new and old.

The first construction is only three years old when in 1904 Van Leuven erects the first two storeys of the lateral building linking the store to the house at street level where the executive offices are located. Later in 1907 architect Van Kriekinge builds five storeys at the back of the lateral and main buildings. In 1911 architect Van Leuven heightens the primary building by another three levels — to make up for the lack of floor space — and tops the construction with a glass roof. The extension of the installations right up to Rue Vanderhaegen dates back to 1913. Finally, in 1921, architect Van Beniest builds the last part of the building at the back of Rue des Tanneurs 37, i.e. an underground garage and warehouses on the upper floors. It is only in 1956 that the Waucquez’s buy the property on Rue des Tanneurs 59 from the daughter of the last tanner. Since 1960, the year of the last acquisitions made by the Waucquez’s — the buildings at numbers 53 and 55, demolished to allow lorries to access the courtyard —, the outer appearance and layout of the complex has remained unchanged. At the height of its activity the company employs 450 people. It has its own delivery vans and drivers, its own repair shops and even its own fuel tanks and pumps.

A

rchitecture, ornaments, tours and detours

Generally speaking, we would like above all to underline the specific case of the city of Brussels that has integrated part of its industrial area into the urban landscape unlike other major Belgian cities which have kept housing inside the city apart from industrial activities outside of it. Brussels has a solid industrial history but the signs of it are less obvious than elsewhere because housing areas have intermingled with industrial areas.

From outside the building complex where the Archives are located, you see a 78-meter long neoclassical façade.

In the inner courtyard you can admire an imposing sculpture by Belgian artist Thomas Lerooy, called “Not Enough Brain to Survive”, acquired by the City of Brussels in 2009.

The main edifice is one of the first industrial buildings constructed using the “Hennebique technique”, in other words, its (invisible) structure is made out of reinforced concrete. Among the last remaining examples of commercial architecture dating from the beginning of the 20th century, it showcases the architectural features typical of the large department stores of that time, including in particular an impressive central stairwell covered by a raised skylight.

The building also has some striking interior building elements such as a beautiful lift created by architect Paul Jaspar. The massive wooden desk, that is still in use today at the Brussels Archives reception, was at the time of the Waucquez’s set a little further back facing another identical desk: one was run by a postal worker and the other by a railway staff member — both services were very much appreciated by the Waucquez employees and are illustrative of the size of the company. In 1976, his company clearly losing ground, Waucquez sells the furnished property: this means that you can still admire the huge, sturdy wooden shelves today — where numerous fabric rolls were stored once and archive boxes are kept today —, cutting tables and storage cabinets.

“Waucquez provided an extensive range of clothing items. You could so to speak enter the shop naked and get out fully dressed” Maurice Dandoy, sales representative with Waucquez The owners very much favoured the more docile, less expensive female labour force which until 1960 necessarily had to be unmarried. Similarly, men and women within the company lived in separate worlds.

“All young women were single and to make sure they were respectable, they were preferably introduced by their parish priest.” Maximilien Waucquez The building on the street fronting has been restored in 1980: it houses the offices of the Brussels Archives as well as of various associations. Numbers 67 up to 73 on Rue des Tanneurs were converted into archive stores in 1988. The building complex is listed since 2001.

copyright: Archives de la Ville de Bruxelles

www.visit.brussels