Parking 58: 'The most beautiful view over Brussels' bids farewell
The parking garage famed for its beloved rooftop will be torn down to make place for the city's new administrative centre
End of an Era
Parking 58 was famous not for its actual parking facilities, but for its top floor. The garage, on the corner of Bisschopsstraat and Zwarte Lievevrouwstraat in the city centre near De Brouckère, offered a free ride to the 10th floor.
There awaited a panoramic view of the city centre and beyond, from the Basiliek way out at Koekelberg to the Zuidtoren at South Station, city hall and the Begijnhof, the Justice Palace and Bozar.
“Go there as soon as you arrive in town: check out the highlights from above before getting into the crowds,” suggested Renata Riva on the website Spotted By Locals. “And then, just before leaving the city, pop up there again and recognize all the places you’ve discovered during your stay. It will have a different meaning for you.”
Not many parking garages get their own Yelp reviews, but Parking 58 did. “Top for admiring the view and the pretty colours our weather can produce,” said one. “It has been from this charmless place that my most memorable evenings have begun or ended,” said Stanislas.
Parking 58 will be replaced by an administrative centre for the City of Brussels, where 1,500 staff will move in by 2021.
Photo: Nikos Roussos/Flickr
