Town Hall of Marcinelle

The town hall of Marcinelle is a communal building located in the section of Marcinelle in Charleroi. It was constructed between 1950 and 1963 by the architect Joseph André for the former municipality of Marcinelle.

The old town hall from 1856, in neoclassical style, was severely damaged after the fire of 1936, necessitating the construction of a new town hall. On May 2, 1944, it was completely destroyed by the Allied air force. After World War II, in 1946, architect Joseph André proposed a new project for the new site chosen by the municipal council. In front of avenue Mascaux and next to the Resistance park. The new proposal was not fully accepted by the municipal council, which still preferred the original site. This choice was also supported by architect and urban planner Maurice Pirsoul, who saw it as an opportunity to redevelop the communal square space. The urban planner proposed a pedestrian civic space, articulated between the different activities of the town hall and the church. The proposal would be too costly due to expropriations, and the proximity of Saint Martin's church posed a monumental conflict with the belfry. After various deliberations over the choice of site, it was only thanks to the intervention of the Minister of Public Works that the building would rise on the site in front of avenue Eugène Mascaux. The first stone of the town hall would be laid on September 23, 1956, and it was inaugurated on September 14, 1963.

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