De Heug Building

Name De Heug Building

Address Quai Arthur Rimbaud 5

City/Neighborhood Charleroi

Style(s)

Modernism

Original use

Offices
Exhibition hall

Année 1934

Architect(s) and/or artist(s)

Leborgne Marcel

Built in 1934 and commissioned by the De Heug piano manufacturers, this modernist building was designed to contrast sharply with the neighboring houses dating from the 18th and 19th centuries (which have since been restored and modernized).

Architect Marcel Leborgne was given free rein to design an avant-garde building that plays harmoniously with curves, vertical lines, and horizontal elements.

The rounded, fully glazed stairwell further emphasizes this verticality.

The building spans seven stories; the top floor originally housed a spacious showroom, while the intermediate floors contained apartments. The façade features alternating bands of travertine and dark glazing. The structure exudes a sense of bold modernity.

The 1930s and the Second World War put an end to the era's general prosperity; business declined rapidly, and in 1960, the piano business was replaced by kitchen furniture manufacturing.

Years of decline followed, eventually leading to plans for demolition.

Fortunately, a grassroots campaign by citizens led to the building being granted heritage status by the Region in 1995. It would take nearly another twenty years, however, to save it from ruin. A meticulous and comprehensive restoration was carried out between 2018 and 2020. Happily, the building has regained its original appearance, and the "De Heug" signage has even been reinstated in its proper locations.

The building was listed in 1995.