Villa Empain

The Villa Empain is a former private residence in Brussels, Belgium, which currently serves as a cultural centre and exhibition space. It was designed by the Swiss-Belgian architect Michel Polak for Baron Louis Empain, the son of the industrialist Édouard Empain, and built between 1930 and 1934, in Art Deco style. It subsequently served as offices and an embassy before falling into disuse. After a restoration from 2009 to 2011, it was opened to the public by the Boghossian Foundation.

The villa is located at 67, avenue Franklin Roosevelt/Franklin Rooseveltlaan, a few steps from the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos. This site is served by the tram stop Solbosch/Solbos (on lines 8 and 25).

Baron Louis Empain (1908–1976) was the second son of Édouard Empain (1852–1929), a wealthy Belgian industrialist who had spent much of his career in Egypt. In 1930, Louis commissioned the Swiss-Belgian architect Michel Polak to build a large house in Art Deco style on the edge of the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos, in the emerging southern suburbs of Brussels, on what was then known as the Avenue des Nations/Natiënlaan (now the Avenue Franklin Roosevelt/Franklin Rooseveltlaan).

Built between 1930 and 1934, the Villa Empain is organised around a large enclosed courtyard with a swimming pool at the back. The Art Deco project aroused significant interest in Belgium where prestigious houses in the style were comparatively rare. Various expensive stone facings were used from around the world.