De architect als ambtenaar : Philippe Van Boxmeer (1863-1955) aan het hoofd van de Mechelse bouwadministratie (1893-1913)

Abstract

In 1893, Philippe Van Boxmeer (1863-1955) was the third person to be appointed city architect of the Belgian town of Mechelen. Some major cities such as Antwerp and Ghent had already instituted a city architect in the eighteenth century, and during the nineteenth century many smaller Belgian cities like Mechelen followed their example. Attention to the role and significance of these municipal architects has grown considerably in current research, and the Van Boxmeer case too provides an interesting perspective on the function and activities of governmental architects in medium-sized towns around 1900. Van Boxmeer was responsible for the iconic (although sometimes controversial) restoration of some of Mechelen’s major monuments. Among other buildings, he restored the former town hall ‘De Beyaert’ in a historicizing style and reconstructed the so-called ‘Keldermans wing’ at the old clothmakers’ hall by following Rombout II Keldermans’ original plans. Inspired by initiatives in other Belgian cities at the time, he also successfully implemented a funding system for the restoration of private historical facades, demonstrating an awareness of contemporary developments. During his career as a city architect, he applied this scheme to restore some fifteen historically and architecturally valuable facades of private homes. Where his predecessors had focused mainly on the modernization of the city, Van Boxmeer’s concern for its historical heritage was one of the focal points of his career. This shows that city architects could play an important role in heritage conservation. Nevertheless, Van Boxmeer did not focus exclusively on the town’s history. He certainly also had an eye for its future development and drew up ambitious plans to improve mobility in the city center and the periphery and to realize more public parks and gardens. Financial limitations, policy makers’ visions but also political intrigue had an impact on the ability of the city architect to effectuate his ideas. Already in Van Boxmeer’s recruiting, his local anchoring and (Roman Catholic) political affiliation had played a certain part. Four years of Liberal dominance in the city administration led to a crisis within the office of public works, which resulted in Van Boxmeer’s dismissal, be it only temporarily. Moreover, his ambitious urban planning designs were not or only partly realized, due to their high financial costs but also because of lack of political support. Our study of administrative archival documents relating to his realized projects was supplemented by a critical reading of Van Boxmeer’s memoirs. These proved a unique source for research on the subject, providing a highly personal perspective on the office of the city architect, and the opportunities and constraints entailed in working in public service.