Autrique House
Belgium · Europe
About
The Autrique House (French: Maison Autrique; Dutch: Autrique Huis) is a historic town house in Brussels, Belgium. This house, built in 1893, was the first designed by Victor Horta in Art Nouveau style, and represents an essential step in the evolution of the Belgian architect. In many ways, it was an innovative dwelling, although it does not feature the novel spatial composition of the almost contemporary Hôtel Tassel. It is located at 266, chaussée de Haecht/Haachtsesteenweg, in the municipality of Schaerbeek.
The Autrique House was built for the engineer Eugène Autrique and his family. Due to budget restrictions, the family wanted a simple but comfortable home. For this reason, many custom made details, which Horta designed himself in most of the other town houses he built, were abolished. The house was kept in a relatively good condition during the 20th century. In the 1990s, it was bought by the municipality of Schaerbeek. It was thoroughly renovated and is now opened to the public.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.