The Esthetic Improvement of Brussels 
PLAN OF THE CITY OF BRUSSELS 
showing the scries of boulevards surrounding the center of the city and the “ North" and “ Pouth " 
railway stations, connected by the Boulevards du Hainaut, Anspach and du Nord. The prtneipa. 
buildings arc shown in black and the numerous open squares and parks in white. The Rue Roy ale, 
skirting the “ Parc," and the Rue de la Regcnce , continuing toward the southwest, divide the upper town, 
on the right, from the lower town, upon the left of this boundary. 
commenced to ridicule the efforts of the 
enterprising artists, who were now accused of 
struggling not for the sake of Art, hut to 
advance their personal ends. Since that time 
IIArt applique a la Rue has fallen into 
oblivion. But its existence was not useless. 
It opened the eyes of many who had not 
thought ot municipal art before. It 
materially changed for the better the aspect of 
Belgian cities, and these, in turn, have had an 
effect upon civic improvement elsewhere. 
Upon examining the results of Broerman’s 
crusade, the visitor to Brussels cannot but 
admire the street accessories in use there to¬ 
day. The letter-boxes are well ornamented in 
a sober way and are free from the usual ugly 
and offensive features they so often display in 
other cities. The color, too, is satisfactory to 
the eye; for, after numerous and careful trials 
ot painting, a light green bronze was adopted. 
Even in the suburban communes on the out¬ 
skirts ot the municipality, smaller letter-boxes 
may be tound, plainer but always well 
designed and well painted in dark gray. 
All over the city are 
high telephone poles, 
painted white with 
dark bases on which 
are the coat ot arms 
of Belgium. These 
standards rise above 
the streets, light, erect 
and graceful, and serve 
at the junction ot prin¬ 
cipal telephone lines to 
support hundreds of 
wires, a convenient 
attachment for which is 
provided by an encirc¬ 
ling iron band at the 
summit ot the struc¬ 
ture. At first these 
telephone- poles were 
generally despised. 
“ They are like as 
many Eiffel Towers, 
they are too American, 
they ruin the perspec¬ 
tive of streets ” : such 
were the sentences 
which could be heard 
passed upon them 
everywhere; but now¬ 
adays the poles are rather popular, and it they 
were taken away, they would be sadly missed. 
I'he latest newspaper stands or kiosks 
erected on the boulevards have neat and 
pictuesque roofs surmounting a band of white 
enameled signs, which serves as a crown to 
the design. During the day, certain hinged 
panels are opened to support a display of 
newspapers. At night when the stand is 
closed, it remains lighted inside, in order to 
show the advertisements. These are trans¬ 
parent by being printed upon oiled paper, and 
are fixed in the windows of the six faces of 
the stand. The street railway stations on 
the circular boulevards are built ot wood in 
the Swiss style ; but there is now a tendency 
to replace these by modern structures. This 
has been done where they have been especially 
needed, in the center of the city near the 
Exchange and in the Rue Royale, but the 
new stands are stiff and severe,—in truth an 
ideal modern street railway station or waiting 
shelter has not yet been designed, even in 
Brussels. 
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