Bortier Gallery

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Bortier Gallery
Galerie Borthier 01.JPG
Bortier Gallery
Location City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
Coordinates 50°50′40″N4°21′18″E / 50.84444°N 4.35500°E / 50.84444; 4.35500
AddressRue de la Madeleine / Magdalenastraat 55
Opening date1848
DeveloperPierre Bortier, City of Brussels
Owner City of Brussels
Architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaer
Public transit access

The Bortier Gallery (French : Galerie Bortier; Dutch : Bortiergalerij) is a glazed shopping arcade in central Brussels, Belgium. It was designed by Jean-Pierre Cluysenaer in 1847, in a neo-Renaissance style, and opened in the following year. As well as being one of the first European shopping arcades, it is a fine example of the joint use of cast iron and glass.

Contents

The gallery is situated between the Mont des Arts/Kunstberg and the Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brussels' main square), not far from the more monumental Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries. It is owned by the City of Brussels and is managed by its Land Administration services. This site is served by Brussels-Central railway station.

History

Early history

Originally, the gallery was part of the Marché de la Madeleine/Magdalenamarkt complex, a covered market also designed by the architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaer. [1] [2] The façade on the Rue de la Madeleine/Magdalenastraat, in a Flemish Baroque style, antedates the construction of the gallery behind it. This front dates from 1763 and was recovered from the Hôtel des Grandes Messageries, a town house situated on that site. [2]

The gallery owes its name to an investor named Pierre Bortier, who had acquired land between the Rue Duquesnoy/Duquesnoystraat and the Rue Saint-Jean/Sint-Jansstraat, [1] made available by the demolition of the former Hôpital Saint-Jean/Sint-Janshospitaal. [2] He proposed to the Brussels' authorities to build the Marché de la Madeleine/Magdalenamarkt. [1] [2] This covered market had its main entrance on the Rue Duquesnoy. Starting from the Hôtel des Grandes Messageries, located on the Rue de la Madeleine, the gallery passed along the rounded southern end of the market hall on the level of its first floor, and ended on the Rue Saint-Jean. [1]

Jean-Baptiste Moens, known as the father of philately, ran a shop in the Bortier Gallery from 1853 onwards. [3]

20th and 21st centuries

The Madeleine market was demolished in 1957 and replaced by a modern event hall, leaving only the original façade in place. The Bortier Gallery was thus detached from the market building. Very degraded, it was closed until 1974–1977, when it was renovated by the architects Paul and Marcel Mignot. [1] [2]

By the late 20th century, the gallery had become well known to lovers of literature and old books, being almost entirely occupied with stalls and shops selling second-hand books, prints, postcards and magazines. [4]

In 2024, all but three of the bookshops closed, [5] [6] as the gallery was controversially renovated as a "gastronomic gallery" primarily housing cafés and eateries. [7] [8]

See also

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References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Mardaga 1989, p. 169.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Mardaga 1993, p. 381.
  3. ↑ Zednik-Hammonds, Sabine (8 September 2024). "'It could fail, it could work': 175-year-old Galerie Bortier transformed by creators of Wolf foodhall". The Brussels Times . Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  4. ↑ Mardaga 1989, p. 171.
  5. ↑ "Galerie Bortier: les bouquinistes craignent les plans de la Régie foncière bruxelloise". La Libre Belgique (in French). Belga. 6 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "La galerie Bortier dévoile son nouveau visage". La Libre Belgique (in French). Belga. 5 September 2024.
  7. ↑ "Inter-Environnement Bruxelles dénonce le projet de réaménagement de la Galerie Bortier". La Libre Belgique (in French). Belga. 10 September 2024.
  8. ↑ "Inter-Environnement Bruxelles porte plainte concernant la rénovation de la Galerie Bortier". La Libre Belgique (in French). Belga. 13 November 2024.

Bibliography

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