Brussels cultural venue Flagey, also known as the Maison de la Radio in Place Flagey, will receive a subsidy of €3.2 million for renovation works.
The planned works include modernising the sound amplification system in studios 1, 4, and 5, as well as in the lobby, renewing the stage lighting, and rearranging the foyers.
The news was announced the outgoing Federal Minister in charge of Beliris, Karine Lalieux, on Friday. The renovations are set to begin in the summer of 2025.
"Flagey is an icon of Brussels’ cultural life and deserves infrastructure that meets current standards and expectations," the minister said in a statement.
"These works will contribute not only to the comfort and safety of artists and visitors but also to the aesthetics of this architectural masterpiece."
A Belgian history
An icon of contemporary Brussels, the building could have suffered a very different fate. It was built by the Belgian architect Joseph Diongre in the 1930s, and it is known for its defining Art Deco design.
The Flagey venue was partially listed in 1994, with the opening its in current format in 2002 after extensive renovation work.
For years, it was the headquarters of the National Institute for Radio Broadcasting (NIR), Belgium's public broadcaster, before its linguistic split into RTBF (French-speaking) and VRT (Dutch-speaking) following the controversial reforms of the time.
The two entities left the building in 1974. It was then transformed into a cultural centre housing a concert hall, recording studios and various other cultural and innovate projects in line with the building's history until the 1990s.
Facing both structural and financial difficulties, the building was saved in 1997 when over 30 Belgian companies came together to raise 47 million Belgian francs to set up the Maison de la Radio, a non-profit which still manages the venues today.
