Aarschot and architecture. A touch of art deco in the former Bank Nagels

(Bogaardenstraat, 23)

The former Nagels bank was built in 1927 based on a design by the architect Victor Van Roey (1886-1968), who was based in Aarschot. It is a historically valuable testament to the reconstruction of Aarschot after the violent destruction during World War I.

This facade uses an eclectic style of forms, namely a combination of a classical order and art deco decorations. As a result, the building deviates completely from the neo-traditional reconstruction architecture found elsewhere in Aarschot, and occupies a unique position. The monumentality, ornamentation, and rich choice of materials are an architectural manifestation of the financial power of the bank and make the building very defining in the street.

We see a rich decoration of flowers and fruit garlands. The use of hard stone, white stone, and red brick in decorative patterns is lavish. The distinction between hard stone and white stone divides the building horizontally in two. The verticality in the upper floor is determined by the separation created by Ionic pilasters that even extend above the protruding cornice in the attic. We do not see it, but it is there: a flat roof, hidden behind the protruding cornice. Centrally, there is a distinctly heavy balcony, adorned at the bottom with a shell motif.

On the ground floor, we see a three-part arch structure consisting of tall fully glazed round-arched doors with transom protected by elegant wrought iron railings made by the company "Lagothe" from Leuven (see nameplate).

During the interwar period, the awareness gradually grew that the use of concrete provided not only economic but also constructive advantages, such as the possibility of large spans, slender pillars, and large light openings. Victor Van Roey applied this modern construction method here in the ticket hall, where the concrete skeleton is supported by only four pillars, allowing for the installation of large lanterns.

Jan Rymenams