At the corner of the Painters and Plaatsnijdersstraat, facing the Museum of Fine Arts, is one of the best known and most striking Art Nouveau buildings in Antwerp. The ensemble of four houses was designed in 1901 by architect F. Smet-Verhas for "the manufacturer navires" P. Roeis, residing in the Rue de Brésil 9 in Antwerp. The appeal of this wealthy shipbuilder is propagated in the facade of the corner building, where a balcony was incorporated in the form of a ship. The property is called colloquially "the boat".
The house has a facing stone in yellow brick on stone plinth, enlivened with bands and decorative brickwork in contrasting colors, which is a typical material used for Art Nouveau. Rich use of natural stone for cordon frames, balconies and frames of wall openings. Also imaginatively wrought iron is abundant in this ensemble: on the corner is a stunning elaborate lantern, finely worked balcony railing in the porch, ornate railings of the front doors and basement windows. Expressive facade by the wide variety of wall openings: in addition to the segmental and rectangular windows with I-beams, we find the typical Art Nouveau basket arch windows. Striking in this ensemble is finely detailed and well-preserved woodwork of windows and doors, which is characterized by fine panes of the skylights.
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