Hankar House, Art Nouveau residence in Saint-Gilles, Belgium.
Hankar House is a four-story residential building in the Art Nouveau style located in Saint-Gilles. The asymmetrical facade combines red brick, blue stone details, and ornate sgraffito decorations beneath the windows.
Paul Hankar designed and built this house in 1893, the same year Victor Horta completed Hotel Tassel, marking the emergence of Art Nouveau architecture. The building represents a foundational moment in the evolution of design and construction methods.
The sgraffito decorations on the facade depict natural forms and representations of daylight hours, embodying morning, afternoon, evening, and night. These artistic elements shape the house's character and speak to the creative vision of its era.
The house stands at 71 Rue Defacqz and displays rooms arranged according to traditional 19th-century Brussels residential patterns. Visitors should view the facade from different angles to fully appreciate the ornamental details and proportions.
A three-story projecting oriel window supported by stone corbels extends to the fourth level where it terminates in a balcony. This distinctive architectural feature channels light into the upper floors while creating a visually striking accent on the facade.
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