At the end of the 19th century, the port of Brussels gradually moved out of the city centre, leading to profound changes in the north of the city. The old port basins were filled in and a new district plan around Square Sainctelette was drawn up before the First World War, with most of the new buildings constructed between the wars.

André Citroën understood that architecture could be a powerful calling card for a company. He chose pure modernism for his complex, located next to the Kaaitheater, an Art Deco jewel that would become part of the Kanal cultural complex in the future.

Today, these buildings are characterised by a combination of commercial space and warehouses on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors. Although the target group is not the affluent middle class, as in the upscale district outside the city centre, a great deal of attention has been paid to the architectural aspect. Here, you will find magnificent examples of Art Deco and the Beaux-Arts movement, as well as all the transitional forms in between. These buildings reflect the economic realities of the time, representative ambitions and, in the case of Gérard Koninckx Frères’ commercial premises, decorated with tropical fruit, the fusion of advertising and architecture.