Aalst Station

Station building Aalst

Description

Only preserved 'station de ville' on the Dender-Waes line, dating from the 1850s, designed by J.P. Cluysenaar.
History
The Dender-Waas line

The Industrial Revolution in the early years of young Belgium faced several problems. One of them was that neither the cities nor the countryside were connected to one another in an efficient, fast, and safe manner. The royal decree of May 1, 1834, stipulated that state-funded railway lines would be built that – with Mechelen as a hub – would connect Belgium in all four directions with neighboring countries. The main economic routes and international traffic were established and operated by the Belgian state. Starting in the 1840s, private concessions emerged, including the Dender-Waas line. The first concession was granted in 1842 and connected Antwerp to Ghent. On April 14, 1845, an agreement was reached in London between the Belgian government and a new company that would build the Dender-Waas railway line. Two months later, by royal decree of June 12, 1845, the "Compagnie Anonyme du chemin de fer et du canal de la vallée de la Dendre" was a fact. The success was short-lived as financial problems forced the company to abandon its rights and obligations and transfer them to a new group around banker Jean-André de Mot and industrialist Jean-Baptiste Gendebien, who were contractors for the "Galeries Saint-Hubert," also designed by Cluysenaar. In May 1852, the deed of incorporation of the "Société Anonyme du chemin de fer de Dendre-et-Waes et de Bruxelles vers Gand par Alost" was granted. Four years later, the line was a reality. On July 6, 1856, not only was the railway line inaugurated but also the station was put into use. Throughout the development of the line, the station of Aalst proved to be the hub, a fact that was emphasized with the necessary design. The station, which belongs to the 'station de ville' group, is the most luxuriously designed in that group, showcasing a quiet grandeur (gallery, battlements, tower, outbuildings).
J.P. Cluysenaar as house architect

In addition to the practical implementation of the railway line, there was a need for adapted architectural forms such as stations, waiting rooms, sheds, and storage places. Given the existing collaboration between Cluysenaar and de Mot and Gendebien, he was commissioned to design the buildings along the railway line. Cluysenaar’s task was twofold: both program and form needed to be newly developed. There were no older comparable buildings that could serve as examples regarding program and design. The typologies were still under full development. Travelers needed to feel welcome, and the local population should feel a sense of pride. It was meant to be a gateway and engine for economic, architectural, urban, and social development. Private companies such as the "Société Anonyme du chemin de fer de Dendre-et-Waes et de Bruxelles vers Gand par Alost" used the buildings as a showcase and publication.

Cluysenaar was given the space to develop new floor plans and make the necessary adjustments for usability and layout. He ultimately opted for a pseudo-medieval, rural, picturesque style, using red Boomse brick (papesteen), blue hardstone from Soignies or Maffles, timber in Norwegian pine, and a roofing made of red and black tiles from "Josson en Delanghe" in Antwerp. He did not develop a type that was applied everywhere but provided each station on the Dender-Waas line with its own design tailored to the location. The designs were well received by the KCML. It was promptly stated that Cluysenaar's designs transcended those of his colleagues, and Aalst could be regarded as the main station along the line.

Cluysenaar aimed to capture the spirit and cultural tradition unique to the environment/region where he was working in his designs. In his architecture in Aalst, he thus refers to the medieval origins of the city, the belfry, the historic building 'Beurs van Amsterdam',...

Unique to the type 'station de ville' to which Aalst belongs is that the facade is oriented towards the city and, together with both turrets, forms a facade wall of the associated square and the surrounding streets (Denderstraat, Dendermondsesteenweg, Esplanadeplein, Esplanadestraat, and Vaartstraat). This is contrary to all his other station designs, which are all oriented towards the railway (type 'chalet') instead of towards the city or the village. The urban development of the station neighborhood in Aalst is also by Cluysenaar. He designed an entirely new 19th-century city district that forms the connection between the station and the centuries-old city center. Three streets connect two new markets and the old Graanmarkt with the station. They intersect at the station square, just in front of the station, which thus forms a beacon for the city and a reception building and departure point for travelers.
Further modifications

Engineer-architect De Paepe drafted some expansions to the existing building in 1890. Of this remarkable enlargement project, only the two detached side pavilions were executed. The awning at the rear presumably also dates from this period.
In 1906-1907, adjustments were made in the context of the World Expo in Ghent (1913): the route of the state railway through the city lies on an artificially raised embankment. An eccentrically placed passenger tunnel and beautiful sloping roofs on the quays (now disappeared, designed by C. Van Bogaert) are additional innovations.

By 1975, the 19th-century building was in a state of severe neglect. Moisture problems, inadequate heating, postponed repairs, and not least the renovations over time had significantly diminished the station's appearance. There was always an unimaginable traffic chaos at the station square during rush hour. A design for a new station building was proposed, which would involve demolishing the current one. This would disrupt the entire station neighborhood with its radial pattern and perspective view of the station. A protection procedure was initiated, although the NMBS and the city council were initially against the classification. The facades and roofs of the station buildings were protected by ministerial decree as a monument and as a city monument in 1978.

At the beginning of the new millennium, plans were made for the renewal of the station neighborhood. With the downsizing and a few years later the complete termination of the protection as a city view, it became clear that the two free-standing station towers would no longer be protected. Why they were not immediately protected as a monument in 1978 is unclear. In order to preserve the original design of this 'station de ville' by Cluysenaar, the turrets were protected as a monument by ministerial decree in January 2014.
Description

The station of Aalst, designed in 1852, consists of a central building with a gallery, vestibule, waiting rooms, and offices. Cluysenaar provided two corner towers that served as "Bureau de l'Octroi" (left) and "Corps de Garde" (right). There have been changes in 1906, 1925, 1950, and 1957, mainly regarding the interior and building equipment. All constructions were built with Boomse red papesteen. The decorative elements such as columns, drip moldings, consoles, plinths, coping stones on the battlements, and rosettes are made of blue hardstone. The already protected main building is accentuated by a tower and gallery, under a flat roof, along the city side. The pointed arch arcades on hardstone columns with listed capitals refer, among other things, to the Aalst house "Beurs van Amsterdam." The middle section has two stories with a facade of three bays and a side facade of two bays, under a flat roof, flanked by octagonal arches, a central square tower with three sections under a flat cover. The upper floor features paired round-arched windows with intervening style worked as a small column, inscribed in pointed arch niches under drip moldings. The brickwork is well-maintained and includes decorative elements such as corner pilasters, delineating brick pointed arch frieze under the battlements.

Both corner towers are identical. They are one bay wide and one bay deep, have one story, and culminate in battlements. Each side contains a segmental arch door or window set in a double pointed arch niche. The inner niche has a drip molding that follows the niche shape. Above the wall openings is a decorative rosette. Delineating brick pointed arch frieze under the battlements.

Kenny