Résidence Palace

Art Deco fans must visit this stunning apartment building with a sky-blue mosaic fountain in the entrance hall right next to an elegantly decorated restaurant and, a little further along, the marble stairway. Developed as a luxurious miniature city with all the services its 1920s inhabitants could need, the building has an elegant façade with sober white stone lines, bas-reliefs and wrought iron lanterns. The complex was split into four wings, housing a total of 180 apartments built for the bourgeoisie, who at that time struggled to find affordable housing in the city. There was a 516-seater theatre, Turkish baths, fencing halls, tennis courts on the roof and a swimming pool. The swimming pool and theatre still exist, but are no longer open to the public. The building, designed by Swiss architect Michel Polak, was completed in 1927. The building’s life as a housing complex was very short-lived as in 1947 it was bought by the Belgian state to be transformed into offices. In 1988 the right-hand wing was demolished to make way for the Justus Lipsius building of the Council of the European Union. Very recently the Europa building was built alongside it, incorporating a part of the building, namely the listed stairway. In 2001 the Belgian government moved their international press centre with fully-equipped editing rooms, radio and television studios and conference halls into the building. The building houses a restaurant serving Belgian-French cuisine in a beautiful setting.