Franciscus Henricus Van Dijk was born in 1853 in
Berchem, a southern district and municipality of Antwerp. He was an apprentice, trainee and collaborator of architect from 1870 to 1881. Van Dijk was a jury member for the
Prix de Rome (Architecture Department) from 1893 to 1901, and professor of architecture at the
Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp from 1902 until 1923. In the 1880s he designed the
Royal Museum of Fine Arts of
Antwerp with
Jean-Jacques Winders. In 1890, he made the first designs for the Sugar Refinery Peten. In 1899 he designed the neo-Baroque Grand Hôtel Métropole on Leysstraat in Antwerp, which is an example of his mature oeuvre. In 1901, Van Dijk was commissioned the ensemble
De Biekens in Cogels-Osylei in Berchem by the
Naamlooze Maatschappij voor het Bouwen van Burgershuizen of the Oostkwartier. Van Dijk built several mansions in Cogels-Osylei, including
Scaldis, an eclectic group of houses, and
Baldwin Iron Arm, some of the most notable houses in
Zurenborg. Since the 1880s, Van Dijk also completed several works in the
Neoclassical style across Antwerp. He designed the
Saint Michael and Saint Peter's Church, built between 1893 and 1897 in Antwerp with a nave with columns of Vånevik granite from the
Kalmar coast. Between 1903 and 1904, he built the
De Spieghel on the Grote Markt of Antwerp in neo-Gothic style. The building, first mentioned in the 14th century, was completely demolished by the owner Eugène Kreglinger and rebuilt according to a design by Van Dijk and Michel De Braey. The same year he realized the eclectic ensemble
De Twaalf Apostelen ("The Twelve Apostles") on Transvaalstraat in Berchem and made a design for Villa Cleibs in
Schoten. In 1909 he was commissioned a mansion on Jan Van Rijswijcklaan by Eugeen Coveliers, which was designed in Neo-Louis XVI style. Frans Van Dijk and his son Henri (also an architect) are buried in the Antwerp cemetery
Schoonselhof (Hoboken), on perk 4 (South side). == Selected works ==