You can’t miss it. The Maison Saint-Cyr at Square Ambiorix 11 is one of the most flamboyant art nouveau houses ever built in Brussels. Or anywhere.
The architect Gustave Strauven designed this extraordinary home in 1901-03 for the painter and decorator Georges de Saint-Cyr. The façade is a delirious composition of curvaceous woodwork and twisted iron, ending with elaborate wrought iron decoration at the top.
The city authorities refused to approve the wrought iron railings, but Georges de St-Cyr convinced the bureaucrats that they added to the charm of the neighbourhood. He won the argument.
Strauven began his career working in Horta’s studio, where he assisted in the design of the Maison du Peuple. He eventually set up his own firm, but his clients were not as wealthy as Horta’s, and could only afford to buy narrow plots of land. Strauven consequently became skilled at designing very narrow houses, such as the Maison St-Cyr, and another, equally flamboyant house at Boulevard Clovis 85.
Strauven abandoned architecture in 1906 and turned his mind to other things. He developed several inventions, including a glass brick, a central heating system and a unicycle. He fought in the First World War and died of his wounds in a French hospital in 1919.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
