Brussels recognises large parts of North Station as protected monument
The Brussels government has recognised large parts of the Brussels North railway station as a protected monument, including its clock tower, main station hall, platforms and remaining wooden benches. The decision, first published in the Official Gazette, was confirmed by the office of Brussels secretary of state for Town Planning and Heritage Ans Persoons.
According to the Gazette, the listed station parts "will be inscribed on the preservation list as a monument, because of their historical, aesthetic and artistic value". Persoons said the recognition "ensures the preservation of the remarkable historical elements of the iconic building of Brussels modernism".
The protection applies to the station's clock tower, façades and roofs, the ticket office hall, the hall of the former train museum, and the seven platforms, including "the associated original facilities that are integral parts of them (canopies, waiting rooms or shelters, the former wooden telephone booths, solid-wood benches)".
These wooden benches were the subject of controversy a few years ago, after SNCB replaced some of them with metal versions, triggering protests. Several original benches have remained in place.
The recognition does not mean that owner SNCB is prevented from making changes, Persoons's cabinet stressed. The railway company is still allowed to adapt the building to modern needs and passenger comfort, for example by installing escalators, lifts, screens or loudspeakers, provided this is done with respect for the heritage.
North Quarter development
Brussels North Station, located in Schaerbeek, was built between 1938 and 1956. The modernist complex, characterised by cubist volumes, strict symmetry and vertical façade lines, was designed by architects Paul and Jacques Saintenoy and Jean Hendrickx-Van den Bosch.
The recognition also forms part of the wider redevelopment of the North Quarter into "a vibrant, green and multifunctional space", in which the station is to play a central role. Central Station and Congress station have already been added to the preservation list of Brussels monuments.
PHOTO © BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT
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