19. Boël Mansion

Built on the eve of the First World War to the designs of architect Maurice Heyninx, this large house has an interior decorated with rich materials and decorations that is a majestic illustration of the trend for Eclectic architects to reinterpret historical styles using modern artisanal techniques. It includes decorative features derived from the Neo-Gothic, Rococo, Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Baroque and Neo-Classical styles, a combination that represents the conservative taste of the traditional middle classes who had rejected Art Nouveau. The street façade is in the Beaux-Arts style, whereas the rear façade is more sober, influenced by the Flemish Neo-Renaissance style.