Brussels (The Brussels Morning newspaper): The renovated Forest Town Hall, an Art Deco gem, reopens as a highlight for Brussels Art Deco Year 2025, celebrating local heritage.
The fancy Forest town hall was built in a cool Art Deco style between 1925 and 1938 by architect Jean-Baptiste Dewin. It shows how the town grew after World War I. The building closed in 2014 for upgrades and finally reopened after ten years. Ans Persoons, who was all about planning and history in Brussels, mentioned that Brussels has many awesome Art Deco and Art Nouveau buildings. In 2025, they’ll celebrate this special art and architecture style. The Forest town hall will be a big deal in Brussels Art Deco Year 2025, along with other cool spots like Villa Empain.
What makes Forest’s Art Deco town hall unique?
It has been said that the Forest town hall is truly unique due to its central location in the city, its modern appearance, construction from materials sourced locally, and the statues and beautiful windows that illustrate the town’s history. Around one hundred years ago, Dewin worked with city councilor Léon Wielemans and chief engineer Paul Van Ysendyck on the design. They looked at different examples of town halls in Laken and Schaerbeek for inspiration. The foundation stone was placed in May 1935, and three years later, the new town hall was opened by Mayor Omer Denis with Belgium’s Prime Minister Paul-Henri Spaak and Brussels Mayor Adolphe Max attending. “We’ve now reopened this famous place in Forest. The locals will be greeted in improved conditions and a beautifully restored heritage. It’s a big project for our town, and we’re proud of the work,” stated Françoise Père, the Forest Councilor for Public Works.
