CONSTRUCTION HISTORY, STRUCTURAL STRUCTURE AND MODIFICATIONS

The seaside resort of Westende and Grand Hotel Bellevue

Fourteen years after Edouard and Paul Otlet founded the seaside resort of Westende, Grand Hotel Bellevue NV, founded in 1909, started the construction of a hotel of the same name.

Architect Octave Van Rysselberghe, who had been city architect for some time at that time, was appointed for this purpose.

He worked together with art dealer Nicolas Lembrée.

Together they were responsible for a practical, harmonious and artistic design of a new hotel, according to the vision of the Otlet family.

The hotel had to become the meeting place for tourists looking for relaxation, sports and art.

This resulted in a modernist-looking building that combined innovative construction techniques with a rather classical appearance by combining sobriety with symmetry, orthogonality, some figurative decoration elements and classical architectural elements, such as an architrave, basement, etc.

Source: nl.grandhotelbellevue.be/histoire

Translated by Google •

GRVLR, gravel riding Brussels

March 31, 2022

The Grand Hotel Bellevue is a special building in the Belgian seaside resort of Westende. It is popularly called “Rotonde”.

It stands like a beacon on the embankment of the seaside resort and is a living reminder of the bustling Belle Epoque with its unique architecture. The hotel was twice destroyed by war, but it survived, making it a unique relic from a bygone era.

It was built from 1909 to 1911, according to the design of the famous architect Octave Van Rysselberghe (1855 – 1929). The building had a progressive construction method of reinforced concrete. The luxury hotel was opened in June 1911 and then had 120 rooms. Princes, kings and empires from all over Europe found a home there. After the Second World War, only the ground floor was used as a hotel. The rest of the building was converted into apartments.
In 1984 the building was protected as a monument and in 1996 also the interior. For several years now, the Rotonde has been privately owned and is no longer operated as a hotel.

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 10 m

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Max wind speed: 13.0 km/h

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Location: Middelkerke, Oostende, West Flanders, Flanders, Belgium

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