Former Trieste Insurance Building
Address Rue Ravenstein 36
City/Neighborhood Brussels
Style(s)
- Modernism
Original use
- Offices
Année 1935
Architect(s) and/or artist(s)
- Dumont Alexis
- Van Goethem Marcel
An imposing office building designed in 1934 by the architectural duo Dumont and Goethals, who also designed the adjacent Shell building.
This handsome modernist ensemble boasts a restrained aesthetic, with a curved façade that follows the street's line.
The Italian marble façade is punctuated by wide horizontal windows separated by fluted piers; all the window frames are made of metal with small iron bars.
The façade is distinguished by a rounded blind section featuring a bas-relief of the San Marco Lion, the emblem of Trieste Insurance, which later became Generali.
The entire ground floor is commercial, with large display windows framed in black marble.
The entrance portal is made of bronze, framed in natural stone, and surmounted by the city of Trieste’s coat of arms.
The original attic had already been rebuilt in 1948-50 by the same architects; columns were added between the windows and a gallery running its entire length, topped by a final story with a straight cornice at the corner, now rounded to match the original design.
The entire structure was completely renovated in 2024, respecting the original design.
Building listed in the legal inventory in 2024
BRU100 - Unless otherwise stated © www.admirable-artdeco.be for all photos