Modest house, big back story

Marie Dumont

Saved from the wrecking ball at the 11th hour, an oasis of history and culture struggles to perpetuate the memory and spirit of its extraordinary former occupant. Rue du Commerce, on the western edge of Brussels’ European quarter, offers one of the most dispiriting sights in Brussels, with block after block of modern office buildings. For a brief stretch, however, the grim alignment is interrupted by three wheather-beaten townhouses from the 19th century…