In vogue from 1890 to 1914, Art Nouveau was a decorative style characterized by graceful curves and sinuous lines. It incorporated natural elements, such as vines and flowers, as well as geometric forms. The style was more popular in Europe than in other parts of the world, especially in Paris, where Art Nouveau signs still mark entrances to the Metro, and in Brussels, where architect Victor Horta left a legacy of Art Nouveau town houses.

Born in Ghent, Belgium, in 1861, Baron Victor Horta studied drawing, textiles and architecture at the Ghent Academie des Beaux Arts. He worked for the Classical architect Alphons Balat in Brussels, before establishing his own practice in 1893. That year, he completed his first significant house in the Art Nouveau style, Hotel Tassel, originally the home of the Tassel family.

Hotel Tassel included some principal features that would become standard in Horta buildings: exposed cast iron as a structural material; a centralized floor plan with rooms opening freely onto one another, instead of the traditional corridor arrangement; and more natural illumination than was typical of traditional late 19th century houses, resulting in a light and airy rather than dark and cramped interior. These concepts eventually led to the development of the Modern architectural style, emphasizing Horta’s historical influence.

Horta soon was in demand to design various other houses and buildings in Brussels. He designed La Maison du Peuple as headquarters of the Belgian Socialist Party in 1895, Hotel van Eetvelde for the General Secretary of Congo in 1898, Les Magasins Waucquez department store in 1903, a jewelry shop for Art Nouveau craftsman Philippe Wolfers in 1906, Halle Centrale railway station in 1914, and others.

Hotel Solvay, designed for wealthy industrialist Armand Solvay in 1895, is considered his masterpiece. It is memorialized on the Belgian 2,000 franc note, along with the bearded image of Horta.

In 1898, Horta designed and built a combination residence and studio for himself, now preserved as a museum. Musee Horta has a relatively simple wrought iron and glass windowed facade that hardly hints at the ornamented interior. A narrow, curving staircase with a wrought iron bannister climbs to a landing with a lantern railing and a stained glass skylight above. In the dining room, lamps resemble bouquets of lilies, while the bathroom features lotus columns. Decorative mosaics and lacquered wood further enrich the decor.

As with his other Art Nouveau creations, Horta spared no expense in getting every detail just right. He imported mahogany, marble, Tiffany glass and semi-precious stones. He personally supervised the craftsmen to ensure that "every single hinge and doorhandle, the carpets and wall decorations" were fashioned to his specifications.

After Horta died in Brussels in 1947, many of his Art Nouveau buildings were abandoned or needlessly demolished. For example, Les Magasins Waucquez (20 Rue des Sables) was occupied by squatters during the 1970s and ‘80s. The squatters used wooden shop fixtures to light fires on the marble mosaic floor and otherwise vandalized the building. Brussels architect Jean Delhaye lobbied to save what was left of it. Today, it is Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinee, the Belgian comic strip museum, and some of Horta’s innovations are still in evidence.

In 2000, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) declared the remaining Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta, Brussels, collectively as a World Heritage Site. Wedged between row houses and often overlooked by passing pedestrians, these surviving structures of Belgium’s Fin-de-Siecle era are worth a closer look.