Emiel Van Averbeke is one of the key figures of Antwerp Art Nouveau. Among other things, Van Averbeke was a city official and in that capacity, he was often instructed to design new fire stations. The first of the series of three is the one in the Paleissraat, dating back to 1907.
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| Picture by Pixabay |
He works together with Jan Van Asperen, a fellow student. The fire station was built in a sober Art Nouveau style, following the architectural ideas from the Dutch architect Berlage. A 2nd fire station of his hand is in the one in the Halenstraat and is built between 1910 and 1913.
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| Picture by Paxabay |
The last firehouse that Emiel Van Averbeke designed is the one that is located in the Siberiastraat. That building has been recently modified and has a diamond-shaped structure built on top of it. It is now in use as the new Antwerp Port House.