Rue Jacques Jansen – Jacques Jansenstraat

A curious name for a street, don’t you think? Rue Jacques Jansen, or Jacques Jansenstraat as it’s known in Dutch, holds a story as unique as its moniker. Right here in Schaerbeek, this street stretches from Avenue Chazal to Rue Auguste Lambiotte, extending further through Rue Émile Wittmann. Rue Jacques Jansen wasn’t always called this. It was once simply known as the old Louvain road, a less personal, more functional title. The street’s current name honors a local figure, Jacobus Jansen. He served as a council member in Schaerbeek from 1885 to 1890. And while the street bears his name, a small, triangular space near its intersection with Avenue Chazal and Grande Rue au Bois has adopted the nickname “Place Jansen”. This little plaza underwent a charming transformation in early 2014. Adorned with six Koelreuteria paniculata trees, more commonly known as Goldenrain trees, and specially designed public benches by artist Lucile Soufflet, it offers a welcome respite. The section of Rue Jacques Jansen bordering Place Jansen is now a semi-pedestrian zone. Cars are allowed, but at a snail’s pace of 20 km/h. The official inauguration ceremony, attended by the College of Mayor and Aldermen, took place on June 12, 2014. Today, Rue Jacques Jansen is primarily residential. Many of the eclectic-style houses lining the street were built between 1900 and 1904, when it was still the old Louvain road. The houses at numbers 21 to 43 were originally designed as a large ensemble of identical homes, a testament to planned urban development. One notable resident of Rue Jacques Jansen was council member and architect Georges Van Oye, who owned several plots of land and designed houses at numbers 30, 32, and 38-40. Before 1901, the Belgian Anonymous Society of Incombustible Constructions was located at numbers 16-18 to 28, its grounds stretching all the way to Avenue Chazal. Following the company’s liquidation in 1924, the land along the avenue was divided into lots two years later. Number 24-26 currently houses a garage. The buildings at the start of Rue Jacques Jansen, constructed between the two World Wars, feature elegant Beaux-Arts or Art Deco designs. So, the next time you find yourself strolling along Rue Jacques Jansen, remember Jacobus Jansen and the evolution of this unassuming yet intriguing street in the heart of Schaerbeek.