2014-05-24 – This afternoon, the local authorities of the City of Brussels unveiled the store fronts of the forty shops of the Palais du Midi. The purpose of renovating them was to develop a coherent and consistent image for the Palais du Midi, firstly in order to enhance each shop’s attractiveness and visibility, and secondly in order to ‘make the Palais du Midi a shopping promenade that links the Gare du Midi with the heart of the city.’
The Palais du Midi, formerly a covered market and imposing retail complex, was designed by the architect Wynand Janssens and built between 1875 and 1880 in order to increase commercial activity in the city’s central boulevards. The renovation has involved replacing a variety of different signs, awnings and intercoms with standard models and PVC shutters with perforated aluminium shutters; repainting all shop fronts; and sanding and repairing the stone plinth course.
The cost of the operation, supported by the Property Management Agency of the City of Brussels, is 1,350,000 euros, offset by a subsidy of 203,000 euros from the Regional Commercial Agency, Atrium.
