The city of Ghent is allocating more than €1 million to restore the façades of the historic Graanspijker building. The Flemish government is contributing 200,000 euros. The building now houses the popular cafés Het Spijker and Gouden Mandeke. After this renovation Ghent will be transferring its “eternal” duty to look after the façades of the building back to the owner. Due to a strange historical arrangement, the owner currently pays very little towards maintenance, with the City of Ghent footing most of the bill. Ghent city authorities have wanted to get rid of this expensive arrangement for over a decade now.
In 1913, Ghent hosted the World Fair. Mayor Emile Braun wanted to showcase the city's historical heritage and spared no expense. ‘He wanted to show tourists and visitors an old, medieval city,’ architectural historian Guido Everaert tells VRT NWS.
‘Industrial buildings in the city centre had to disappear, the 19th-century plasterwork had to go. There was a wave of renovations,’ explains Everaert. Among other things, the quays of the Gras- and Korenlei were given a facelift: some buildings were demolished and a new Saint Michael’s Bridge was built. The new Post Office building was by then already under construction.
Outside the Gravensteen, the medieval Castle of the Counts of Flanders, Braun had the cafés and shops that had been built against the building over the years demolished. The city selected some 40 façades in this neighbourhood and elsewhere in the city centre, which were given a thorough refurbishment. Ghent then promised to take responsibility for the upkeep of the façades “forever” in order to protect and continue to guarantee their heritage value. In exchange, the owners of these properties had to pay an annual levy, a kind of tax. This amounted to one gold franc per metre of façade.
‘Before the First World War, gold francs had some value. Galloping inflation in subsequent years meant that within a few years, one gold franc was worth next to nothing. Renovation costs continued to rise, while the income fell,’ Everaert explains. In reality, the city of Ghent was collecting less than one euro per façade per year.
‘Fits in with systematic phasing out of eternal upkeep duty’
The city realised early on that the scheme was becoming unsustainable. In 1990, it was decided systematically to tackle this issue. The city promised owners that it would carry out one more renovation and then transfer responsibility for the façades to the owners. Of the original 40 façades, only 11 remained during the previous council term. Now, alderwoman and acting mayor Hafsa El-Bazioui (ecologist Groen) has announced a new renovation.
The façades of the Graanspijker, on Pensmarkt 3-9 are being renovated. The building now houses two popular cafés: Het Spijker and the Gouden Mandeke. "The façades date back to the 14th century. The building was originally a nursing home for lepers, but in 1322 the city bought the property to use as a grain storage facility. After all, at this time the port was nearby. Later, the building was converted into an inn," explains the alderwoman.
"Recent research shows that the structure of the building is in poor condition. The restoration work will focus on the exterior façades and the joinery, while the wooden structure inside will be repaired too. The annexes on the side of the river will be rebuilt. During the restoration work, the two cafés will remain open and accessible," Ms El-Bazioui emphasises.