Passage Lemonnier

Passage Lemonnier is a historic covered shopping arcade in the centre of Liège, Belgium, widely described as the oldest covered commercial passage in the country and one of the oldest in Europe. It links the Vinâve d'Île to the rue de l'Université and is crossed at its centre by the rue Lulay-des-Fèbvres. The arcade was built between 1836 and 1838 by the architects Louis-Désiré Lemonnier and Henri-Victor Beaulieu; its name was drawn by lot between the two masters of works. It predates the Galeries royales Saint-Hubert in Brussels, inaugurated in 1847, by eight years. The project originated around 1835, when several residents of the new rue de l'Université — Louis-Désiré Lemonnier, Jean-Baptiste Hanquet and Jean-Louis Rassenfosse Brouet — conceived the idea of creating a covered passage in Liège modelled on those existing in Paris. Beyond their own savings, they secured funding from the bankers Théodore Cerfontaine and Gérard Nagelmackers, and from the latter's brother-in-law Joseph Forgeur, a lawyer and future senator. At the end of July 1836 they formed a company and acquired various plots and buildings on which the new gallery would be built, including the Maison des Pauvres en Isle. The whole Isle district was then undergoing transformation and real-estate development, notably through the filling of the various arms and biez of the Meuse. At the time of its construction the Passage Lemonnier was 160 metres long and 4 metres wide, containing fifty-six houses, most of them four storeys high. The works were completed six months ahead of the announced schedule, but the project was not a financial success: construction cost far more than expected, and a number of shops proved difficult to let, particularly after a banking failure at the end of 1838 triggered a financial and economic crisis that lasted several years. The inauguration finally took place on 24 January 1839. The arcade became a local attraction, drawing large crowds and giving rise to Liège's first "Carré", the square of streets around the passage. Over the following decades the Passage Lemonnier experienced highs and lows. It was fundamentally transformed in the Art Deco style during 1934–1937 under the direction of the then managing director and the architect Henri Snyers, with the renovation completed in 1939 by the installation of a statue by Madeleine Schoofs in the cupola. Around 2005 many questions arose about its future, both as heritage and as a commercial venue, and a round table was organised at the initiative of APRAM. About ten years later, with the will and resources of its shareholders, it relaunched as one of the driving forces of the city centre's commercial dynamic, with significant investments made to upgrade the premises and to create new commercial surfaces. Today the Passage Lemonnier remains active, hosting shops of all types, and maintains an official website presenting its history and its commercial information. The managing director function is currently entrusted to Mr Laurent Malherbe through his company.

The idea of creating a covered passage in Liège, modelled on those existing in Paris, is thought to have germinated during 1835 in the minds of several residents of the new rue de l'Université: Louis-Désiré Lemonnier, Jean-Baptiste Hanquet and Jean-Louis Rassenfosse Brouet. Beyond their own savings, they needed larger funds and found them with the bankers Théodore Cerfontaine and Gérard Nagelmackers, and with the latter's brother-in-law Joseph Forgeur, a lawyer and future senator. At the end of July 1836 they formed a company and acquired various plots and buildings on which the new gallery would be built, including the Maison des Pauvres en Isle, which had existed on the Vinâve d'Île since very ancient times. The whole Isle district was then undergoing transformation and, above all, real-estate development at the initiative of the Orban family, with the filling of the various arms and biez of the Meuse. A certain audacity was required to launch such a project, given the tense Belgian and international context of the time; it was only during the first months of 1839 that a definitive peace was established between Belgium and the Netherlands (Treaty of the XXIV Articles). At the end of 1836 the associates met again to adopt the full statutes of their company, which would ultimately be a société en commandite simple, as joint-stock companies — a recent legal construction — were heavily criticised. Their call for construction offers having been unsuccessful, Rassenfosse Brouet finally offered to do the work and had to take out an entrepreneur's licence to do so. Savers, although solicited, did not rush to support the initiative. If the works were completed six months ahead of the announced schedule, financially it was not a success, both during construction — which cost much more than expected — and after the opening of the Passage Lemonnier, when a number of shops proved difficult to let, because at the end of 1838, following the bankruptcy of a bank, a financial and economic crisis broke out that would last several years. If Cerfontaine, Nagelmackers and Forgeur had the means, the same was not true of the other associates, who had to withdraw under unfavourable conditions. The inauguration finally took place on 24 January 1839. For the time, the Passage Lemonnier constituted a great novelty in Belgium and, for Liège, a rather exceptional edifice allowing it to rival other important cities. Its influence extended beyond borders, as seen in the number of foreign-origin traders who came to settle there. Locally, the gallery became an attraction; crowds came in such numbers that its managers had to hire one and then several guards to ensure security. Most interestingly, this gave birth to Liège's first "Carré", with the public strolling along the Vinâve d'Île, rue Cathédrale, rue de l'Université and rue Pont d'Île (a square) with the Passage Lemonnier in the middle. People did not say "I am going into the Carré" but rather "I am doing the Carré". At the time of its construction, the Passage Lemonnier was 160 metres long and 4 metres wide and contained fifty-six houses, most of them four storeys high. Of the 19th-century neoclassical passage, little remains: the upper façade on rue de l'Université, one or another original fountain in the cellars, the side galleries and their cast-iron discharge pipes, and a bronze lantern-bearer preserved at the Musée de la Vie wallonne. The Salle du Casino (later of the Bazar and finally of "La LEGIA") was transformed in the early 1950s, and the Café de la Renaissance, which originally had two levels, in 1900. It was during 1934–1937, under the direction of the then managing director and the architect Henri Snyers, that the passage was fundamentally transformed into the Art Deco style still known today, the renovation being completed in 1939 with the installation of the statue made by Madeleine Schoofs in the cupola. The Passage Lemonnier experienced highs and lows. Around 2005, many questions arose about its future, both as heritage and commercially; a round table was even organised at the initiative of APRAM (Association pour la Promotion et la Recherche sur l'Architecture Moderne). Ten years later, finding in its shareholders the will and the necessary resources, it relaunched as one of the driving forces of the city centre's commercial dynamic, and significant investments were made, both to upgrade the premises in various respects and to launch larger projects to create new commercial surfaces. In 2014, the Passage Lemonnier was still there despite the creation in the 1970s, with the development of the pedestrian zone, of a number of galleries that have either disappeared or are no longer but a shadow of themselves. At the end of the 19th century, another gallery could have been built behind the Grand Poste. The location was therefore well chosen in 1835–1836 to establish the gallery in what is still today the hyper-centre of commerce.

• 2014

  The Passage Lemonnier remains active despite the creation of other galleries in the 1970s.

• 2005

  Around this year, many questions arise about the passage's future; a round table is organised at the initiative of APRAM.

• 1950

  The Salle du Casino (later of the Bazar and finally of 'La LEGIA') is transformed in the early 1950s.

• 1939

  Renovation completed with the installation of the statue by Madeleine Schoofs in the cupola.

• 1934

  Start of the fundamental transformation into the Art Deco style under the then managing director and architect Henri Snyers.

• 1900

  The Café de la Renaissance, originally with two levels, is transformed.

• 1839

  Inauguration of the Passage Lemonnier on 24 January.

• 1838

  Construction is completed six months ahead of schedule, but a banking failure at the end of the year triggers a financial and economic crisis.

• 1836

  At the end of July, the associates form a company and acquire plots and buildings for the new gallery; at the end of the year they adopt the full statutes of their société en commandite simple.

• 1835

  Idea of creating a covered passage in Liège, modelled on Parisian passages, germinates among residents of the new rue de l'Université.

Belgium's oldest covered shopping arcade, a heritage commercial gallery in the hyper-centre of Liège.

• Covered shopping arcade with shops of all types

  The passage houses shops of all types and links the Vinâve d'Île to the rue de l'Université.

• Book '175 ans au Passage LEMONNIER'

  A book on the history of the passage, sold at Maison Declerck in the Passage Lemonnier for €45.00.

1. 1Passage Lemonnier official websitepassagelemonnier.com
2. 2Histoire – Passage Lemonnierpassagelemonnier.com
3. 3Passage Lemonnier – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Passage Lemonnier – Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org