The American Theater in Brussels is set to be transformed into a Flemish cultural hub, following the Flemish government’s acquisition of a 99-year leasehold on the building. Ministers see major potential for the site in Ossegem Park in Laeken, near the municipalities of Meise, Grimbergen and Vilvoorde.
Built for Expo 58 on the Heysel plateau, the theatre was later used by VRT for recordings and productions until the building was vacated in 2012. It has been empty ever since.
A feasibility study found significant potential, though major renovation will be required. The cabinet of Flemish Culture minister Caroline Gennez is investing more than €2.5 million a year in phases to revive the site. The government plans to open the building for temporary use in the meantime, allowing organisations to test possible functions before long-term decisions are made.
It has everything to grow into a vibrant Flemish cultural hub in our capital
“The narrative must be artistically strong but also future-oriented and economically viable,” Gennez said. In the long term, the building could offer space for auditoriums, rehearsal and production spaces, studios, residencies, public functions and hospitality, and be a home for artistic and economic partners.
Flemish Media minister Cieltje Van Achter said the site “has everything to grow into a vibrant Flemish cultural hub in our capital”.
The American Theater was built to serve as the American Pavilion at the World Fair in Brussels in 1958. It was designed by the American architect Edward Durell Stone, whose work includes the Radio City Hall and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the American Embassy in New Dehli.