La maison Closset

The imposing building that is the Maison Closset owes its designation to the name of the owner who transformed it into apartments in 1924. In the 18th century, this building played host to the textile workshops of Paul von dem Bruchwhose daughter married a son from the Peltzer family, who came from Stolberg in Germany. The Peltzer & Fils firm, which set up in the 19th century on the other side of the River Vesdre, employed up to 40,000 people (spread over its various sites) and considerably contributed along with the firm of Iwan Simonis, to the world-renowned reputation of the Verviers textile industry.The architecture of the building is typical of construction methods from the proto-industrialisation era. The edifice dates from the second half of the 18th century, just before the industrial revolution.The striking volume of this building is its height. There were several floors for the workshops, lit by a series of identical windows whose frames are made of calcareous stone: curved lintels with keystones, sills extending in bands into the brickwork which itself is adorned with many iron wall anchors. The base is made out of calcareous stone for good support of the construction.