Eastman Building, History museum in Leopold Park, Brussels, Belgium

The Eastman Building is an Art Deco structure by architects Michel Polak and Alfred Hoch, set in Leopold Park in Brussels. Its wide pale stone facade is symmetrical around a central entrance, with an inscribed band reading INSTITVT DENTAIRE GEORGE EASTMAN. Nine tall rectangular windows with dark panes run above the inscription, and round carved medallions sit above the lower flanking windows.

The building was constructed and opened in 1935 with a generous donation from Kodak founder George Eastman to provide dental treatment to children in need. It served as a dental clinic for decades before being transformed into the House of European History in 2017.

The name recalls George Eastman, the Kodak founder who funded the building so poor children could receive free mouth and dental care. Since 2017 the former clinic has housed the House of European History, whose permanent galleries occupy the rebuilt interior behind the 1935 facades.

The building stands in Leopold Park, behind the European Parliament and the Museum of Natural Sciences, near the Solvay Library. The House of European History occupies it since 6 May 2017, with permanent and temporary exhibition spaces and a room for specific events. The entrance is reached by the broad central staircase rising from the park side.

Architects Michel Polak and Alfred Hoch created a building considered progressive in its medical functionality at the time, with thoughtfully planned treatment room layouts. Their designs show how 1930s modernism was adapted specifically for specialized healthcare facilities.