Vaulting

Vaulting
   The Senne River had long been subject to torrential flooding, notably in August 1850, and had also become increasingly polluted. Following a cholera epidemic that killed an estimated 3,467 residents in May 1866, the authorities, led by Burgomaster Jules Anspach, decided to cover over the river both to make the center of Brussels a healthier place and to demolish derelict structures in the interest of urban renewal. As duke of Brabant, the future king Leopold II had been greatly impressed by the wide boulevards laid out in Paris under Georges-Eugène, Baron Haussmann (1809-1891), and he readily endorsed the scheme, on which work was begun in 1867. Architect Léon Suys managed that portion of the project involving vaulting over of the river, which was canalized and the waters channeled to Humbeek. The work was completed in 1874, when, on 15 November, Leopold opened the sluices amid great festivities.
   The river runs underground just south of the Gare du Midi to reemerge at the pont van Praet in Laeken, where it follows the Wille-broeck Canal in the direction of Mechelen.
   Jean-Baptiste Mosnier, a Parisian building contractor, was commissioned to construct the boulevards, and French contractors built many of the buildings along the routes. Roadwork was carried out by the Belgian Public Works Company, which employed local laborers. The project entailed cost overruns and a lawsuit involving the company and the city. The latter eventually completed the work itself.
   Vaulting transformed the city center as many winding, narrow streets dating from the Middle Ages were eliminated with the installation of the boulevards Maurice Lemmonier, Anspach, Adolphe Max, and Émile Jacqmain and the opening of the squares Fontainas, Bourse, and de Brouckère. Construction launched a new development in architecture with the French influence much in evidence in the façades of the 62 buildings built before Mosnier went bankrupt in 1878, many of which were constructed of stone imported from France in place of brick, the traditional building material of Brussels.
   Stretches of the river upstream and downstream of Brussels were vaulted over in the 1950s.

Historical Dictionary of Brussels. .

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  • vaulting — vaulting1 [vôl′tiŋ] n. 1. the building of a vault or vaults 2. the arched work forming a vault 3. a vault or vaults vaulting2 [vôl′tiŋ] adj. 1. leaping or leaping over 2. overreaching; unduly confident …   English World dictionary

  • Vaulting — Vault ing, n. 1. The act of constructing vaults; a vaulted construction. [1913 Webster] 2. Act of one who vaults or leaps. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • vaulting — ► NOUN ▪ ornamental work in a vaulted roof or ceiling …   English terms dictionary

  • vaulting — vaulting1 /vawl ting/, n. 1. the act or process of constructing vaults. 2. the structure forming a vault. 3. a vault, vaulted ceiling, etc., or such structures collectively. [1505 15; VAULT1 + ING1] vaulting2 /vawl ting/, adj. 1. leaping up or… …   Universalium

  • vaulting — I. noun Date: 1512 vaulted construction II. adjective Date: 1593 1. reaching or stretching for the heights < vaulting ambition > < a vaulting imagination > 2. designed for use in vaulting or in gymnastic exercises < a …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • vaulting — vault|ing1 [ˈvo:ltıŋ US ˈvo:l ] n [U] ↑arches in a roof or ceiling ▪ Gothic vaulting vaulting 2 vaulting2 adj vaulting ambition literary the desire to achieve as much as possible ▪ a man of vaulting ambition with the talents to match …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • vaulting — 1. noun a) The practice of constructing vaults, or a particular method of such construction. b) A vaulted structure; such structures treated as a group. 2. adjective a) Leaning upward or ov …   Wiktionary

  • vaulting — I. /ˈvɔltɪŋ/ (say vawlting) noun 1. the act or process of constructing vaults. 2. the structure forming a vault or vaults. 3. a vault, vaulted ceiling, or the like, or such structures collectively. {vault1 + ing1} II. /ˈvɔltɪŋ/ (say vawlting)… …  

  • vaulting — vault|ing1 [ vɔltıŋ ] noun uncount the curved structures in a vaulted ceiling vaulting vault|ing 2 [ vɔltıŋ ] adjective MAINLY LITERARY very determined: a vaulting ambition …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • vaulting — vault·ing || vɔːltɪŋ n. leaping motion; arched structure vɔːlt n. arch, dome; room with an arch or a dome; secure room for storing money or valuables; underground burial chamber; pole vaulting v. leap up or over (especially with the help… …   English contemporary dictionary

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