The descendants of Jacques Stoclet are contesting Brussels Secretary of State for Heritage, Ans Persoons’ plans to mandate public access to the Stoclet Palace a few days a year.
Citing the structure’s fragility, the family cautioned against public risks if the palace is opened. They also objected to Persoons’ “aggressive rhetoric” and “inaccurate statements”. The family claim their ongoing efforts to preserve the palace directly contradicts Persoon’s recent assertions.
They referred to a statement by patrimoine.brussels on its website, which recognises the palace’s survival over time due to the Stoclet family’s care, largely through private funding and personal responsibility. While the region’s financial contribution is appreciated, the heirs emphasised it was secondary.
Legal objections and the preservation debate
In their response, they also mentioned their legal objection to a 3D replica of the palace on display at an exhibition about architect Josef Hoffmann at the Royal Museums of Art and History. They claimed the public company behind the Stoclet house did not allow a video reconstruction of the interior to be shown during a visit organised by urban.brussels and ULB, terming the 3D replica as unauthorised and infringing on property rights.
The public company expressed their willingness to continue dialogue with the Brussels region, despite “interference attempts and threats disregarding the rule of law”.
Previously, the State Secretary had indicated she was working on a decree to require the UNESCO-listed building’s public opening around ten days a year. In her words, this goes beyond a private property, referring to it as collective heritage.
The Stoclet Palace, a villa located on Tervuren Avenue in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre and built in 1911, has been unoccupied since 2002 and is included on UNESCO’s World Heritage list since 2009. The family still owns the house but it is not open to the public and requests from The Brussels Times for an inside article about the house were not answered.
The family company’s shareholders hope that the region will demonstrate reason and maintain the preservation objective of the palace, following what they refer to as an aggressive stance and inexact declarations.
