It was built in 1881–82 in an eclectic style by Henri Rieck, following the covering of the Senne and the creation of the Central Boulevards.

It is decorated with 32 caryatids in the neoclassical style by Jean-François-Joseph Bertheux and sculptures and putti by Constant Albert Desenfants.

It is served by the metro and premetro (underground tram) station De Brouckère on lines 1, 4, 5 and 10.

[2] Executed in an eclectic style and inaugurated on 25 May 1882, the gallery was lined at that time with 34 shops and a museum on the ground floor, while the upper floors were reserved for all kinds of cultural activities.

[3] The monumental façades are richly decorated, notably with sculptures by Joseph Berteux and Albert Desenfants.