Les Peupliers, a 1905 building in Vilvoorde designed by architect Victor Horta, has been restored and officially reopened during Heritage Open Day 2026 after a long and difficult renovation that once left it at risk of demolition.
The former gymnasium, built in 1904, will reopen from Monday for the City Academy for Music, Speech and Dance. Following the renovation, it has been converted into a ballet studio.
The project was designed by aNNo architects. Vilvoorde covered most of the cost, with the total bill reaching about €2 million.
The Flemish government contributed 17% of the funding, amounting to €300,000.
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Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mayor Jo De Ro of Anders described the renovation as a long ordeal. He said that when he first took office as an alderman in Vilvoorde in 2013, some people around him even said they hoped the building would “collapse one day.”
“My heart bled when I heard that,” De Ro said. He also recalled the state of the building at the time, mentioning “the smell of carcasses, pigeon droppings and more.”
De Ro said Horta is best known for his major buildings in Brussels, but used his design talent here for his daughter’s girls’ boarding school. He added that the site also introduced Swedish gymnastics, with its focus on both body and mind.
Although the city bore most of the cost, De Ro said he was pleased the restoration would preserve a heritage gem in Vilvoorde while serving local taxpayers.
