Maison du Peuple: façade

Horta also produced some non-residential buildings in Brussels that incorporated features of Art Nouveau design, notably the Maison du Peuple (1895-89; destroyed 1964) and the department store A l’Innovation (1901; destroyed 1966).

The Maison du Peuple was intended as the headquarters of the recently established Belgian Socialist Party. It was largely financed by the Solvay Company, Armand Solvay being a close friend of the militant socialist Emile Vandervelde. The building’s design, with curved and angled fa�ades, clearly reflected its irregular, partly curved site fronting onto two radial streets. The Maison du Peuple has been referred to as the Art Nouveau version of American office buildings designed by Louis Sullivan; instead of being clad in stone or terracotta, as in the USA. However, here the iron frame was exposed, with masonry cladding used only for the end bays and around the entrance. At the top of the building, inside the high mansard roof, was an auditorium featuring Horta’s most successful attempt to combine the ornamental and the structural use of iron: his exposed framework of trussed metal columns angled upwards from the floor to continue as beams across the ceiling, incorporating graceful curves and ornamental elements.

In 1899, the finished building was not only Horta’s masterpiece but also a chef-d’oeuvre of modernism. The monument built in red brick, white cast iron and glass offered large rooms filled with natural light. Horta achieved to build his masterpiece on a narrow and steep plot. The multifunctional building included a restaurant and several shops, as well as a clinic, a library, offices, meeting rooms, and a large, 2000-seat auditorium. This building represents a milestone in the evolution of Horta’s work; the fa�ade had fewer visible Art Nouveau decorative elements. Though still present, he progressively abandoned the curves and vegetal-inspired decorative elements for sober lines showing off the modern materials. The Maison du Peuple was the Workers’ Party landmark. It brought art, space, and light to workers, two elements missing from their homes.