'Maison de Bonvoisin', a proto-industrial factory

Since 2004, number 86 has been home to the Maison de l'Eau, an interactive museum dedicated to all aspects of water in the region. After the 2021 flood, it was temporarily closed.

The building itself is unique, as it is the rare surviving example of a factory from the proto-industrial era. It dates from the early 18th century (1727-1735) and was built by Pierre de Bonvoisin.

So what is so special about this building? The first factories looked different than they do now. We should not link this to our current image of large single-storey halls with machines and workers. In the first factories there were no machines. Workers were brought together to do their work manually. In order to gain as much expensive land space as possible, these factories had several floors. The mansion in which the patron lived was located at the front of the street and behind it were several workshops where all the various activities of the textile industry were carried out. By the way, you can see the back from 15 rue Pétaheid. On the roof you can still see a skylight with a pulley ("tire-balles") along which the wool bales were hoisted up. But otherwise this side is strikingly similar to the façade.

Jan Rymenams