The Avenue Capitaine Piret a quiet street in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. It’s named after Edgar Piret. He was a captain whose ship vanished in the North Sea. This happened in 1940. The year this avenue opened.
Avenue Capitaine Piret is more than just a street. It’s a testament to a local hero a captain lost at sea. The avenue runs 260 meters. It connects Avenue Père Damien to Rue Medaets. Imagine the planners envisioning this tranquil space. It was part of a new neighborhood created by Egimo. This company developed the area around Avenue Père Damien and Rue Marcel Buts.
The avenue’s design wasn’t accidental. Engineer Willem De Bosscher drew up the plans. The Woluwe-Saint-Pierre council approved them in 1929 and 1930. Royal decree in 1930 officially ratified the plans. The council detailed urban guidelines. These included five-meter setbacks with small gardens. Buildings couldn’t exceed a certain height. This ensured a consistent streetscape.
Egimo built the road itself. It used land acquired from Louis Solvay. The company got tax breaks. It made its money back by selling the plots. J-B Gerard the contractor finished the road in January 1941. In 1941 they planted trees. Alternating plum and cherry trees still line Avenue Capitaine Piret.
Construction of houses began years later. Most of the buildings were up by 1956. Many houses are two or three stories high. Several are larger apartment buildings. Raymond Decorte designed many of the homes on the avenue. Other architects also contributed.
Walking down Avenue Capitaine Piret today is like stepping into a piece of history. It’s a quiet tribute to Captain Piret a reminder of the past. His story lives on in the very name of the street. The trees he planted. And the architecture that makes this quiet avenue so unique.