Défi party puts historic Saint-Gilles building up for sale

The French-speaking political party Défi is selling its historic headquarters at Chaussée de Charleroi 127 for €2.7 million.

The 1899 townhouse served as the headquarters of the former FDF and later Défi for almost 50 years.

The building has been on the market for two weeks via Immoweb but Le Soir reports that this took place without any official communication from the party leadership, and the property listing makes no mention whatsoever of any link to the party.

The neo-Venetian office building has a rear annexe and storage area, totalling 850m² in the heart of the Louise district. It was designed by architect Jules Brunfaut and still features distinctive stained-glass windows and cornices.

The former FDF party moved there in 1978 when Antoinette Spaak was still chairperson. The move was made possible solely thanks to financial support from the founding members and a few sympathisers.

For almost 40 years afterwards, "le 127" served as the headquarters of the French-speaking federalists. In 2015, the FDF split, leading to the creation of the current party, Défi.

According to La Libre Belgique, current party chair Sophie Rohonyi prefers a more modern building, and several bids have reportedly already been rejected as being too low.

Défi suffered heavy losses in the last federal and regional elections in 2024, leaving with fewer MPs and a corresponding reduction in income. The property sale is reportedly a blow to Défi’s older guard, including Didier Gosuin.

“Our strength lies in the fact that we are not dependent on money from donors or lobbies, but this is also our weakness,” he told La Libre.

Uccle town councillor Emmanuel De Bock (MR) complained in Le Soir that the property could also have been rented out. De Bock left Défi at the start of this year to return to the MR party, partly out of dissatisfaction with the stalled sale.