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US Embassy to move to former Axa building in Watermael-Boitsfort
The US Embassy in Boulevard du Régent will in 2018 move its headquarters to the former Axa building located in the leafy Brussels commune of Watermael-Boitsfort, reports L'Echo.
The US Embassy's current location near the intersection with the busy Rue de la Loi will be traded in for a greener locale. Watermael-Boitsfort, in the south of Brussels on the border with Ixelles, is home to the 'Royale Belge', an iconic office building built in 1970 along the Boulevard du Souverain.
The building designed by architects Pierre Dufau and René Stapels went on the market after Axa Bank decided to move, coincidentally, to Boulevard du Régent, where Axa is currently building a new headquarters between Trône and Porte de Namur.
According to the newspaper, the US Embassy signed a purchase agreement with owner Cofinimmo. The cross-shaped building is 50 metres high and has a floor space of 54,000 square metres. A second, smaller building on the same site remains the property of Cofinimmo and is being converted into housing.
Comments
Perfect for a fortress embassy.
Smart move. It won't have to be as fortress-like and will be removed from all the issues and problems connected with its current downtown Brussels location.
Where is the money coming from to finance this purchase? How easy is it to get to the new location?
Very easy to get to by tram and metro not too far away. I just hope the traffic is not disrupted along a narrow two lane Bd du Souverain. Curious to know if the US embassy to the EU and to the Kingdom of Belgium are being combined in the new building. Also, will the Kingdom of Belgium ambassador move from their residence somewhere else? I think overall it is a smart move. Too much congestion downtown.
As a practical question: is the Consulate and its services to be moved also or will it stay where it is?
They probably needed a bigger building to cope with the extra staff required to deal with all the renunciations, even at the newly increased (highest in the world) cost of $2350. If you're lucky, if you don't get hammered with fines. Seems to me the EU should subsidise these costs. Got to be an investment in order to stop the USA taxing EU citizens and stealing money from the EU economy. That or we also implement US tax laws and start taxing US resident Americans on the grounds they were born in the EU. Wonder how that would go down with the biggest hypocrite on the planet?
I live nearby so I am really looking forward to the transformation from a generally chilled out, relaxed part of town with Sunday afternoon strollers, joggers and kids playing around Ten Reuken lake, Parc Seny, Foret des Soignes etc. to a permanently tensed up zone with frequent security alerts, road closures etc. done 'for our own protection'. Nice...