HOME | DD

Description
Frankrijklei 1-5, Antwerp (Belgium), August 13th 2018

Both some of the most beautiful buildings and one of Antwerp's worst eyesores in one single picture: the ancient Hotel Wagner (left), the Flemish Opera (middle) and the Antwerp Tower - currently being renovated (right), unlikely neighbours due to historic circumstances.

In trying to explain how one of Antwerp's ugliest buildings became the neighbour of some of the city's more beautiful ones, it is necessary for me to explain how the buildings came to be there in the first place.

Until the middle of the 19th century, Antwerp still maintained its medieval city wall, originally constructed under Emperor Charles V in the 1540s. These walls served as the city's defence, but they also constrained the city's growth. In 1859, the then-mayor of Antwerp, Jean François Loos (1799-1871, mayor of Antwerp between 1848 & 1862) finally managed to ensure the demolition of the old city walls under a fortification program which saw a new city defence built further out from the city center. On the cleared grounds of the former city wall, a series of large boulevards were built which separated the old city center from its newer outlying quarters.

Over the next three decades, the new grounds were slowly built on, and on the grounds south of the square that surrounded the beginning of the road from the old city center to the nearby cities of Herentals and Turnhout, a number of buildings was erected. Among the original buildings on this site was a vendors hall, erected in 1892; however this would have a surprisingly short career.

Around the same time the new hall was inaugurated, a new theatre company was founded, which would bring plays in the Dutch native language; up to that point, the city of Antwerp had only had one theatre company which had brought their plays in French, catering at the bourgoise elite of the city. Offering support for this new theatre company, the city of Antwerp sought for a place for the new theatre company to bring their plays, and eventually the choice was made to erect an opera house at the spot of the vending hall. Despite having been built only a decade earlier, the hall was demolished in 1904, and the construction of the 'Flemish Opera' started soon after. The theatre was inaugurated in 1907, and remains in use as an opera house to this day.

On both sides of the new theatre building hotels were constructed; on the one side, adjacent to the then-Victorieplaats (nowadays the Franklin Rooseveltplaats), the 'Hotel Wagner' was constructed; originally in 1905 it was built on the corner of the then-Kunstlaan (nowadays Frankrijklei), but subsequent expansions in 1908 and 1912 saw the building enlarged so it connected neatly to the adjacent Flemish Opera. On the opposite side, construction of the rival Grand Hotel Weber had already started in 1901; the two buildings more or less gave the Opera a symmetric look.

While the Opera House retains its original purpose, the same could not be said for either of the hotels. The Hotel Wagner remained in business until 1949, when it closed; subsequently the building was used as office space, housing a number of businesses well into the 2000s. In 2006, the building was restored and repurposed as luxury apartments; the Flemish Opera now has its sales offices on the former hotel's ground floor.

The Grand Hotel Weber did not fair as well as its rival. A decade after its opening, the First World War erupted, and during the subsequent German occupation of Belgium, it was commandeered by the Imperial German forces to serve as its Antwerp Feldkommandatur. Following the end of the war, the hotel was reappropriated by the state as it had originally belonged to a German owner. The Second World War again saw Belgium occupied, and again the Grand Hotel Weber was commandeered, this time by the Nazi forces. After the city was liberated by the Allied forces, the abandoned Kommandatur was looted, but the fatal blow was still to follow - in subsequent months, the Nazis started firing V-bombs at the city, and on November 27th 1944 a V2 rocket fell on the intersection in front of the hotel, resulting in the death of 157 (including 29 Allied soldiers) and 307 injuries. The blast also wrecked the hotel, which for the next two decades stood empty and derelict, a silent reminder of the tragedy.

At the end of the 1960s the ruined former Grand Hotel Weber was sold to developers, and it was subsequently torn down and replaced by a tower block, the Antwerp Tower, which was inaugurated in 1974. However, already from its inception, the Antwerp Tower met a lot of critique, especially as its brutalist design simply did not fit in with its surroundings. Added to that, the tower never quite met the success that had been envisaged for it, and it continually had to cope with vacancies as well as rather questionable tenants. Equally, the shopping gallery at the ground floor never became the success the owners hoped for. Eventually the building changed hands in 2012, with its new owners currently converting the tower into a combined hotel (lower floors) and luxury flats (top floors).

Description
Frankrijklei 1-5, Antwerp (Belgium), August 13th 2018

Both some of the most beautiful buildings and one of Antwerp's worst eyesores in one single picture: the ancient Hotel Wagner (left), the Flemish Opera (middle) and the Antwerp Tower - currently being renovated (right), unlikely neighbours due to historic circumstances.

In trying to explain how one of Antwerp's ugliest buildings became the neighbour of some of the city's more beautiful ones, it is necessary for me to explain how the buildings came to be there in the first place.

Until the middle of the 19th century, Antwerp still maintained its medieval city wall, originally constructed under Emperor Charles V in the 1540s. These walls served as the city's defence, but they also constrained the city's growth. In 1859, the then-mayor of Antwerp, Jean François Loos (1799-1871, mayor of Antwerp between 1848 & 1862) finally managed to ensure the demolition of the old city walls under a fortification program which saw a new city defence built further out from the city center. On the cleared grounds of the former city wall, a series of large boulevards were built which separated the old city center from its newer outlying quarters.

Over the next three decades, the new grounds were slowly built on, and on the grounds south of the square that surrounded the beginning of the road from the old city center to the nearby cities of Herentals and Turnhout, a number of buildings was erected. Among the original buildings on this site was a vendors hall, erected in 1892; however this would have a surprisingly short career.

Around the same time the new hall was inaugurated, a new theatre company was founded, which would bring plays in the Dutch native language; up to that point, the city of Antwerp had only had one theatre company which had brought their plays in French, catering at the bourgoise elite of the city. Offering support for this new theatre company, the city of Antwerp sought for a place for the new theatre company to bring their plays, and eventually the choice was made to erect an opera house at the spot of the vending hall. Despite having been built only a decade earlier, the hall was demolished in 1904, and the construction of the 'Flemish Opera' started soon after. The theatre was inaugurated in 1907, and remains in use as an opera house to this day.

On both sides of the new theatre building hotels were constructed; on the one side, adjacent to the then-Victorieplaats (nowadays the Franklin Rooseveltplaats), the 'Hotel Wagner' was constructed; originally in 1905 it was built on the corner of the then-Kunstlaan (nowadays Frankrijklei), but subsequent expansions in 1908 and 1912 saw the building enlarged so it connected neatly to the adjacent Flemish Opera. On the opposite side, construction of the rival Grand Hotel Weber had already started in 1901; the two buildings more or less gave the Opera a symmetric look.

While the Opera House retains its original purpose, the same could not be said for either of the hotels. The Hotel Wagner remained in business until 1949, when it closed; subsequently the building was used as office space, housing a number of businesses well into the 2000s. In 2006, the building was restored and repurposed as luxury apartments; the Flemish Opera now has its sales offices on the former hotel's ground floor.

The Grand Hotel Weber did not fair as well as its rival. A decade after its opening, the First World War erupted, and during the subsequent German occupation of Belgium, it was commandeered by the Imperial German forces to serve as its Antwerp Feldkommandatur. Following the end of the war, the hotel was reappropriated by the state as it had originally belonged to a German owner. The Second World War again saw Belgium occupied, and again the Grand Hotel Weber was commandeered, this time by the Nazi forces. After the city was liberated by the Allied forces, the abandoned Kommandatur was looted, but the fatal blow was still to follow - in subsequent months, the Nazis started firing V-bombs at the city, and on November 27th 1944 a V2 rocket fell on the intersection in front of the hotel, resulting in the death of 157 (including 29 Allied soldiers) and 307 injuries. The blast also wrecked the hotel, which for the next two decades stood empty and derelict, a silent reminder of the tragedy.

At the end of the 1960s the ruined former Grand Hotel Weber was sold to developers, and it was subsequently torn down and replaced by a tower block, the Antwerp Tower, which was inaugurated in 1974. However, already from its inception, the Antwerp Tower met a lot of critique, especially as its brutalist design simply did not fit in with its surroundings. Added to that, the tower never quite met the success that had been envisaged for it, and it continually had to cope with vacancies as well as rather questionable tenants. Equally, the shopping gallery at the ground floor never became the success the owners hoped for. Eventually the building changed hands in 2012, with its new owners currently converting the tower into a combined hotel (lower floors) and luxury flats (top floors).