In 1919, the city of Antwerp was looking for a suitable use for a vacant lot on the Eiermarkt. A large, modern building was to be erected overlooking the Meir.
Together with city architect Emile Van Averbeke, Jan Vanhoenacker and Jos Smolderen designed Belgium’s first skyscraper. The steel skeleton was built at lightning speed between February 1929 and August 1930 and clad in brick and natural stone. It was completed just in time to be part of the final months of the World’s Fair in Antwerp. At 87.5 meters, it was the tallest tower building in Europe for a long time. Together with the Cathedral of Our Lady, it dominated the Antwerp skyline.
The project was funded by the Algemeene Bankvereniging, which was affiliated with the Boerenbond. That bank ran into financial difficulties. To plug the 930 million Belgian franc deficit, the Middenkredietkas stepped in. In 1934, that bank went bankrupt. It was therefore said that the tower had been built with the hard-earned money of the Farmers’ Union’s customers. Hence the name Boerentoren. Eventually, the building came into the hands of the Kredietbank, now known as KBC.
Take the elevator up
Originally, the Boerentoren was a luxury apartment building. On the ground floor, there was a bank teller hall and a few shops. Brasserie De Torenkelder, a restaurant and tea room, and the Chinese tea salon Cuperus attracted many visitors. A visit to the Panorama Room on the 24th floor was even a tourist attraction, offering a sweeping view of Antwerp. Just the elevator ride alone was an adventure.
After undergoing restoration in 1970, the Boerentoren was taken over by Kredietbank. Since 2020, the former KBC Tower has been owned by Katoen Natie, which aims to restore the building’s original mix of residential, retail, and office spaces, supplemented by exhibition spaces and a sculpture garden.
This story was created by OKV for FAAM—a virtual museum.
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