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| Hotels des Allies on Ave. Cambier |
Another small hotel in Leopoldville in the 1950s (See Mar. 30, 2011) was the Hotel des Alliés, located a block south of the Memling (See Mar. 29, 2011) at the corner of Aves. Moulaert and Cambier (Tchad & Ebeya). The property of a M. Duchesne, the earliest reference I have found was in a tourist guidebook from 1948. What was far more interesting for a young boy in primary school was that Duchesne’s building also housed a toy store, Maison du Jouet, on the side facing Ave. Cambier. An advert in 1958 announced “Jeux-Jouets-Articles Pour Bébés” (curiously translated into English as “Children’s games and fruit and slot machines”). The shop was a treasure-trove of model cars and airplanes. Other shops included, Kermesse des Jouets on Ave Hanssens, down a side street from the Memling towards the Boulevard (where Buromeca - Canon's photocopy shop is today) and Maison du Tennis on Ave. du Port.
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| Hotel des Allies from Ave. Cambier - Intersection with Ave. Moulaert (Hotel Memling 1 block to the right) |
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| Hotels des Allies & Maison du Jouet (R) |
The building now is subdivided into several shops, including an LG electronics and appliance dealer.
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| The former Hotel des Allies et Maison du Jouet -- note the arcades at street level have been closed in. |
