In 1782, architect Louis Montoyer drew up plans for a Louis XVI-style complex made up of a circular theatre and a rectangular building, featuring a ballroom and a reception room. In 1820, this 'Vauxhall' complex, as it became known, was taken over by the City of Brussels, which decided to rent out each of the buildings separately. The Société du Concert Noble thus leased the Vauxhall café and a few ancillary rooms and was given permission to build a majestic ballroom based on the plans of architect Charles Van der Straeten. In 1871, the complex was let out to the Cercle Artistique et Littéraire, which was joined in 1947 by the Cercle Royal Gaulois to form the Cercle Royal Gaulois Artistique et Littéraire. The club's premises include the Blue Salon, the Royal Salon, the Caryatids Ballroom, which has survived the passage of time with the four caryatids created by sculptor François Rude giving it its name, and the Lorraine Ballroom, which dates from 1783 and forms part of the original building. Committed to promoting the arts and culture, the Cercle is very much a place of exchange, hosting numerous receptions, conferences and meetings. The goal of its members is "the pursuit of excellence among those they count as friends and unwavering respect for others, the ever-present quest for the Beautiful, the Good and the True". (Listed 09/03/1995)