STRAUVEN, Gustave

Strauven shared Horta’s stylistic approach and his enthusiasm for iron as a material. In this case, iron was used not in sinewy rectilinearity but to lend a touch of individuality in a graceful “ornamental undergrowth.”

The Maison Saint-Cyr is Strauven’s most important building, one of the most extravagant Art Nouveau creations in the architectural heritage of Brussels. Strauven designed the house for painter and decorator Georges L�onard de Saint-Cyr.

The most unusual feature of the exceptionally narrow (just four metres wide) fa�ade is the circular bay that contains a loggia on the fourth floor. This original structure is supported by a curved metal beam in the shape of a circle. The whole is topped with a decorative crown of sculpted stone and wrought iron, concealed behind one of the first roof terraces in history. Since the plot did not have enough space for a garden, Strauven had the idea of creating this terrace, which overlooks the square.

The interior is characterised by different styles, which vary from one room to the next.

The house was restored in 2013.

The interior is characterised by different styles, which vary from one room to the next.

The house was restored in 2013. Despite the little graphic documentation on the original project, preliminary studies (historical, stratigraphy, archaeological and pathological) have enabled the restorators to discover plenty of traces of the original scenery and thus reconstruct them, almost in their entirety.

The interior is characterised by different styles, which vary from one room to the next.

The house was restored in 2013. Despite the little graphic documentation on the original project, preliminary studies (historical, stratigraphy, archaeological and pathological) have enabled the restorators to discover plenty of traces of the original scenery and thus reconstruct them, almost in their entirety.

Strauven shared Horta’s stylistic approach and his enthusiasm for iron as a material. In this case, iron was used not in sinewy rectilinearity but to lend a touch of individuality in a graceful “ornamental undergrowth.”

This building has an unusual design. The left-hand section was developed as a gabled fa�ade, which soars upwards and is almost Gothic in style. It is topped by a remarkable small wooden loggia with an imposing cornice. The corbelled balconies are the most elegant parts of the fa�ade, with their wrought iron railings displaying various designs and a sloping metal section resembling the mast of a ship. The bay on the right side consists of loggias decorated with magnificent ironwork and sculpted stone and features Japanese-inspired shapes.

The carriage entrance is decorated with wrought iron featuring whiplash lines and bears the architect’s signature on the right.

In the interior, the polygonal stairwell is surmounted with a glass roof. The carriage entrance leads to an enormous square-shaped courtyard, likewise covered by a glazed roof. A gallery on the first floor leads to a three-storey building at the rear, used as a warehouse.