Jardin d’enfants: 1897-1900, Rue St Ghislain 40
This kindergarten was completed in 1900, based on plans drawn up by Horta in 1897 following the order placed in 1895 by Mayor Charles Buls.
Despite Horta being at the height of his Art Nouveau style the Jardin d’enfants, a nursery school, the design was constrained by the imposed regulations relating to school buildings. Nevertheless much of the complex structural engineering carries his signature.
The façade presents a composition with very marked asymmetry, as is often the case in Brussels Art Nouveau: it comprises a high central wing flanked by two much lower wings.
This facade is built in white stone with the use of blue stone at the base and horizontal stone bands which streak the facade in places.
Inside, the school has a very simple but very functional plan. The vestibule opens onto a square-shaped courtyard at the corners of which the four classrooms are arranged. This courtyard is covered with a light metal frame topped with a glazed skylight.
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