Our office is located in an historic building, recognized as a monument, well known as ‘House Baar’. It is named after the architect who designed it: Arthur Baar. House Baar is lesser known as the neighbouring buildings on the left namely ‘House Hoste’ and ‘Pand Koloniale Waren’. Still, the walls of this building harbour a remarkable history. Originally, the main building (current nr. 79) dates back to 1876. It was a stately manor house in neoclassical style. In 1934, Hasselt based entrepreneur Polus decided to renew the façade and to build a new warehouse on the vacant lot next to the building (current nr.77). He reached out to architects Baar and de Kaesteker. They were inspired by the modernist approach of architect Hoste to give the whole a retrenched art deco style. Inside there is, among other things, a neoclassic parlour with a marble mantlepiece and floral decorations on the ceiling, a parlour in neoflemish renaissance style with wooden beams and an enormous, sculpted wooden mantlepiece and various stained windows in art nouveau style.
The current owner seeks to reconcile the historical context and the current activity, on the one hand by restoring the original elements such as the wrought iron bay window with coloured glass and on the other hand by giving the building a functional furnishing, adapted to the current and future mixed use of housing and professional activity.