Victor Horta was commissioned by the Belgian Workers’ Party commissioned Horta to build a grand people’s house.
Between 1896 -1899 he designed and constructed a four-storey building with maximum functionality. It provided space for all kinds of socio-economic facilities; the ground floor was made of shops and a café restaurant; the first floor included the party’s offices and meeting rooms, as well as a library; the second and third floors welcomed various multi-purpose rooms; the fourth floor was home to a large auditorium and concert hall seating over 2,000 people.
Unlike Horta’s houses, decoration was minimal, it was a purely functional building, mainly constructed in white cast iron with curtain walls.
La Maison de Peuple was demolished in 1965 despite objections from over 700 architects. The Blaton Tower was erected in its place!
