“Who was Charles De Buck?” I ask. The answer lies beneath our feet on Rue Charles De Buck. This street is named after Etterbeek’s acting mayor from 1866 to 1869. Rue Charles De Buck is a small street. It starts at Rue Pére Eudore Devroye and ends at Rue Nestor Plissart.
The city decided on the street’s layout in 1913. It finally opened around 1924. The buildings along Rue Charles De Buck are not very uniform. However there is classicizing architecture.
Numbers 20-22 built in 1928 show this style. Number 9 from 1925 has an English influence. The city officially named the street Rue Charles De Buck by order of the Regent on June 20 1949.
Now let’s focus on number 9. It exemplifies the Beaux-Arts style. This style was popular from about 1905 to 1930. It recalls the grand French architectural styles of the 18th century. Look at the richly decorated facades. They often use natural stone or imitation stone. Sometimes they combine these with brick. Notice the beautifully crafted ironwork on the railings and gates.
Architect Léon De Pauw designed number 9. He submitted the building application in 1925. The facade features red Tongeren brick. It has two stories and two unequal bays. One bay gently projects forward as a risalit.
The window and door openings have shoulder arch shapes. They are framed with natural stone corner blocks. Note the iron balcony railing and the parapet. The right bay culminates in a clock gable. It displays garland decorations and a crowning ornamental vase.
A cornice is broken by a dormer window above the entrance bay. This dormer has a shoulder arch shape and sits beneath a small oculus. The roof is a Mansard roof. It has steep lower slopes and gently sloping upper surfaces.
The buildings and features of Rue Charles De Buck reflect different eras. They create a diverse streetscape.