5/5 A B. 4 years ago on Google • 88 reviews
The
most
extravagant
and
astonishing
example
of
Brussels
Art
Nouveau
is
without
doubt
Saint-Cyr
House,
with
its
breathtaking
steelwork
the
most
eye-catching
feature.
Masterfully
decorated
thanks
to
its
abundant
and
sumptuous
use
of
glass
and
steel
on
the
4-metre
wide
facade,
the
house
is
truly
a
stunning
sight.
The
house
was
built
between
1900
and
1903
and
was
the
home
of
artist
and
decorator
Léonard
de
Saint-Cyr.
It
was
designed
by
Brussels
architect
Gustave
Strauwen,
who
was
a
student
of
the
legendary
Victor
Horta,
when
he
was
only
21
years
old.
Incidentally,
opinion
was
split
about
this
Art
Nouveau
gem
until
relatively
recently.
In
1967
the
City
of
Brussels’
chief
architect
said
the
following
about
the
building’s
façade:
“
“it
lacks
the
uniformity
needed
for
an
artwork;
the
individual
elements
clash
and
give
the
impression
of
a
haphazard
and
less
than
harmonious
fantasy,
which
is
even
clearer
in
the
presence
of
an
exterior
staircase
of
questionable
taste”.
Six
years
later
and
opinions
remained
unchanged.
The
Royal
Commission
for
Monuments
and
Landscapes
described
it
as
“…
a
tumultuous
work,
of
astonishing
proportions,
which
at
first
glance
looks
like
a
theatre
set,
then
reveals
itself
to
be
a
serious,
ordered
and
logical
architectural
story.”.
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