Opened in 1531, the Chambre du Commerce was the stock market of Antwerp, a thriving commercial city since the 15th century in Belgium. While designing the chamber, the Flemish architect Domien de Wagemaker took inspiration from the London Stock Exchange designed by Sir Thomas Gresham.
Therefore, the late Gothic-style building had an open rectangular layout enclosed by a covered collonade. Chambre du Commerce became a flourishing international trade center after Queen Elizabeth I initiated trade with Rotterdam in 1570.
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The Structure originally had three floors, and the ground floor with wooden cabins belonged to the employees. The Gothic-style arches of this floor were made of red brick and maps were painted on the walls over the cabin doors. In 1853, a later architect covered the chamber with a glass roof, inspired by the Crystal Palace in London.
Dan Raven
The chamber suffered two great fires during its history. It was reconstructed in accordance with the original design after the 1583 fire. However, the 1588 fire destroyed the building. The city council held a design competition. The only rule was to stay loyal to the original concept. The winning design by Joseph Schadde was in Neo-Gothic style with an additional metal exoskeleton that would protect the building from further possible fires. This second reconstruction lasted until 1872.
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The establishment of the Brussels Stock Exchange in 1997 resulted in the closure of Chambre du Commerce in 2003. Currently, there have been plans to convert the structure into a hotel and multifunctional space.
Jan Stel
Carl Hartley
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Marco Cauberg
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