I Photographed An Abandoned Building From The 15th Century, And Here’s The Result

The Chamber of Commerce, or CDC (Chambre du Commerce - French), was Antwerp's stock market, first opening in 1531. At the end of the fifteenth century, Antwerp, becoming the commercial center of Belgium, in turn became an important international trading center.

The first building had the form of an open rectangular space surrounded by a covered colonnade, built in the late Gothic style according to the design of Domaine de Wagemaker. Damien himself was inspired by the design of Sir Thomas Gresham, who designed the London Stock Exchange building. When the Antwerp Chamber of Commerce first opened, it was stated that "every nation" had a (more or less) permanent seat in the CDC.

The building was rebuilt according to the original plans after a fire in 1583, and the interior was only roofed 70 years later to a design by Charles Marcellus, modeled on London's Crystal Palace. Just five years later, the building suffered a second fire and was destroyed again. The municipality of Antwerp held a competition to design a new building with the belief that the old concept should be retained. Architect Joseph Schadde won the competition and construction was completed in 1872. It is described as "a curious combination of neo-Gothic style and revolutionary technology, especially interior metalwork."

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In 1997, the Brussels Stock Exchange took over the functions of the Antwerp stock market, which led to the complete closure of the CDC. Since then, the building has been empty, minimal maintenance was carried out, the windows were boarded up, and rats walked across the once oak parquet flooring.

Plans to transform the building into a hotel and a more or less functional space finally came to fruition only in 2019 — a luxury hotel, a banquet hall, and a waltz of unique (and non-repetitive) ornaments and patterns again invite the public through its wide open doors.

All photographs were taken and edited by me. If you would like to use them, please ask permission to post and include my name and profile link.

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