Ixelles' iconic Delhaize Molière building to finally get new lease of life

Long threatened with destruction to provide space for upmarket housing, the former Delhaize Molière supermarket site in Chaussée de Waterloo - that still features an arched dome facade and metal framed halls - is set to return to its original purpose as a sporting venue.

Today, walking past the grey concrete Brutalist-looking building, with fading posters on the walls and homeless people in the doorway, it is difficult to imagine its future identity as a lifestyle destination.

But real estate developer BESIX Red and Animo Studios have pledged to turn the striking industrial building, inaugurated in 1910 as a roller-skating rink, into a project focused on sports, wellness and socialising, reports RTBF.

“The Royal Rinking project has been a subject of public debate for over 10 years,” said Ixelles mayor Romain de Reusme (PS) in a statement. He emphasised that throughout this time people living in the area have expressed “their attachment to this iconic building and their desire to see it restored to a useful purpose.

“Together with the neighbourhood committee [Un Îlot Un Quartier/One Block, One Neighbourhood], local residents and the developer, we continued discussions without ever abandoning this objective,” he added.

“The reopening of the site demonstrates that it is possible to reconcile heritage preservation, quality of life, and neighbourhood development when everyone agrees to build solutions together,” de Reusme continued.

Julie De Groote, alderwoman for urban planning and heritage (Les Engagés) agreed. She noted that Royal Rinking, attributed to architect Aimable Delune (1866-1923), who designed many Art Nouveau and eclectic architecture homes in Ixelles, Saint-Gilles, Forest and Uccle, is part of “our heritage and our collective memory”.

Indeed, the site has previously housed a roller skating rink, garage and supermarket. Then, when Delhaize finally shut in 2018, it ended up as a sometime squat and occasional contemporary art space that even hosted a Banksy show.

“The partnership with Animo Studios reconnects with the Royal Rinking’s collective and recreational function; it’s a wonderful return to its history,” de Groote said. “This solution was developed in close collaboration with ‘Un Îlot Un Quartier’, which has tirelessly fought to preserve this place that tells an urban story.”

The Animo group will carry out technical studies and define the project before submitting an application for planning permission before September.

Animo Studios is billed as the “first premium boutique fitness space in Brussels… combining fitness with a high-end hospitality experience…” The brand is also known for transforming existing buildings into “true experiential spaces, at the crossroads of physical activity, recovery, well-being, hospitality and community spirit,” the group said in a statement.

The project will “contribute to the attractiveness of the district, revitalise its commercial aspect and offer residents a wellness facility that meets their expectations,” it added, pointing out that Animo’s goal was to create “active lifestyle destinations”.

Rejuvenation is certainly necessary. Following a site visit in May 2018, the Royal Commission of Monuments and Sites (RCMS), that now works closely with the regional government agency Urban.brussels, noted that: “The complex’s successive uses (indoor roller-skating rink 1910–1918, accommodation for refugees, venue for hockey and boxing matches (1918–1924), garage (1924–1983) and supermarket (1983)) have unfortunately radically altered the building.”

But the Art Deco elements of the façade remain and the building has kept its charm. Ultimately the campaign led by Un Îlot to preserve one of the last bastions of Belle Epoque centres for entertainment now looks like it will succeed.

Photo: (main image) ©ObjectifXL.be/Les Engagés