Staircase and villa walk - circuit B

The Avenue Professeur Henrijean is lined on both sides with very beautiful Spadois villas. Following the movement initiated in rue de Barisart, with a little delay but with more ambition, the villas built along Avenue Professeur Henrijean constitute the most remarkable ensemble in the town. The vast majority were built between 1894 and 1909. The 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries were the golden age of the construction of luxurious villas, cottages and even castles answering the wishes of a rich clientele of " holidaymakers " attracted by the magnificent nature which surrounds the thermal town, and its and its worldly character. While walking around you will notice that the names given to the villas are very varied: names of flowers, shrubs and trees, but also first names, names of cities or regions. names of cities or regions. Stop at the Villa le Freuheux1 (N°22). This exceptional villa, with its hectare of land, its 10 rooms and its beautiful Louis XVI style, dates from 1908. It belonged for a few years to a certain Mrs. Hitchcok, who is said to have been related to the master of suspense. Since then, the villa in Sparta has been put up for sale at the end of 2017 by the prestigious real estate company Sotheby's. In the course of its history, the building was requisitioned during the First World War, as were many other buildings in during the First World War, as were many other buildings in the water city, to become a German hospital. After the war, the villa was converted into a private clinic, and after the liberation of 1944, it was used by other military personnel, this time G.I.s.

Now look to your right at the Villa Henrijean (N° 21-19), also known as the "White House". It belonged to Professor Henrijean, professor of pharmacy at the University of Liege, who gave his name to the avenue. Together with Spa Monopole and the City of Spa, he was responsible for the creation of an institute for research and medical hydrology. His villa, in the Anglo-Norman cottage style, is a successful adaptation of the English model to Mosaic panelled architecture. 

The Vieux-Spa district committee and its inhabitants are very dynamic and offer seasonal activities that are appreciated by Spadois and tourists alike: cabaret, flea market, district festival... don't miss the cot circuit during the end-of-year celebrations!

La Glacière is a new cultural space that opened its doors at the end of 2019. Various cultural projects (exhibitions, concerts, literary meetings, etc.) are taking place there. The large 25 kg ice cakes made in the old ice house are now a distant memory.

Masonic Lodge of Spa

The "Rayon de soleil" is the personal residence of the architect Arthur NOEL, built in 1908.Here, the decorative elements that adorn the façade refer to a geometric Art Nouveau style. The remarkable wrought iron railing of the balcony is particularly noteworthy, with the side sections offering a play of curves and counter-curves that is particularly representative of the Art Nouveau movement. The original frames are still in place. Some of the windows are decorated with stained glass. A blacksmith can bend the wrought iron into shapes reminiscent of nature's flowing forms. At the beginning of the 20th century this craft reached a peak in the treatment of this material

"Les Marronniers" and "Les Papillons".These two houses with yellow brick facades were built in 1905. Their names evoke nature, a subject appreciated by the Art Nouveau movement. Above each entrance door and the windows on the second floor, sgraffito panels personalise each of the two houses: decorations of chestnut leaves and flowers at number 31, floral motifs and butterflies at number 33. Beautiful sinuous wrought iron anchors, a further reference to Art Nouveau, adorn the two façades. All the original windows have been preserved. At no. 31, the two large left-hand bays on the upper floors each give access to a balcony with a wrought iron railing. At no. 33, a bow window was added in 1914 in place of the first floor balcony. The stained glass windows depict butterflies. The overhanging cornices are supported by fine carved wooden brackets.