Place Eugène Flagey

The area comprising the Place Eugène Flagey was covered by the Ixelles Ponds until 1860 when one of the original ponds was drained as part of a new urban design. The square was originally known as the Place Sainte-Croix/Heilig-Kruisplein ("Holy Cross' Square") after the Hospice de la Sainte-Croix, a hospice located at the bottom of the current Rue de Vergnies/De Vergniesstraat.[2][3] The square was renamed in 1937 by Eugène Flagey, a Belgian lawyer and politician[4] who served as mayor of Ixelles from 1935 to 1953.[5] The Place Sainte-Croix remains limited today to the front of the Church of the Holy Cross (French: Église Sainte-Croix, Dutch: Heilig-Kruiskerk)[5] on the edge of the ponds.

The construction of the area around the Place Eugène Flagey continued after World War II, between 1948 and 1963. The ensemble, although built in nearly thirty years in post-war functionalist style, displays a great homogeneity. Each building has a similar height, a yellow brick facade, a commercial ground floor surmounted by a mezzanine and crowned with a concrete awning, as well as a roof terrace. These latter elements give the set almost continuous horizontal lines, but each building nevertheless retains its architectural specificities.[3] On 18 December 1957, the first self-service store in Belgium, by the Delhaize brothers, opened on the square, across from the Flagey Building.[6][7]

The Place Eugène Flagey/Eugène Flageyplein before renovation

Beginning in 2002, the square was extensively renovated. Prior to the renovation, it had been primarily used as an open-air parking lot. The project was infamously delayed many times and all activity had to grind to a halt for sometimes months on end. The plans were remade in 2004, partially on the demand of the local residents' association. Among their demands were the complete elimination of above ground parking in the square. The original plan was not deemed ambitious enough and a new competition was launched for international bids from different architects. Latz&Partner and D + A International eventually won the contract.[8]

Official celebrations for the reopening of the Place Eugène Flagey took place in July 2008. Events held included fireworks, concerts, guided visits and film screenings.[9][10] However, at the time of the official opening, the subterranean car park which was built below the square was not opened. The risk of flooding as well as other structural problems forced authorities to keep the facility closed.[11] The car park finally opened on 15 November 2010.[12] A large flood control reservoir for storm water (necessary due to the low-lying terrain and high groundwater level) has also been built under the square.[13]

For some years until its last edition in 2016, an open-air screening of a film each night during the Brussels Film Festival (BRFF) took place in the square.[14]