Café de la Bourse, Café on Boulevard Anspach, Brussels, Belgium
Café de la Bourse is an eclectic-style building at 78 Boulevard Anspach, designed by Émile Janlet in 1874. Its pale stone façade has four upper levels of tall windows framed by pilasters and topped with cornices, with black wrought-iron balconies spanning the windows. The roofline rises into stepped, ornamented gables and small dormers, while the ground floor is clad in dark panels with large glass windows and awnings.
Émile Janlet designed the Café de la Bourse in 1874 as part of the redevelopment of the central boulevards after the Senne was covered over. The building won second prize in the City of Brussels architecture competition of 1872–1876, behind Henri Beyaert's Maison des Chats. It has been listed as a historic monument since 28 April 1994.
The building opened as Café de la Bourse, was later renamed Monico and then Le Grand Café, the name still read on the fascia above the ground floor. Its corner position faces the Bourse palace across boulevard Anspach, and the café is served by the De Brouckère and Bourse premetro stations.
Visitors can choose between indoor seating on multiple levels and outdoor space with views of the square. The venue accommodates group reservations for dinners, events, and meetings throughout the week.
The building opened as Café de la Bourse, was later renamed Monico, and then became Le Grand Café. Its 1874 design by Émile Janlet took second prize in the City of Brussels architecture competition of 1872-1876, behind Henri Beyaert's Maison des Chats. The canopy was restored in 2020.
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