Mining colonies: Cité André Dumont

Work at the Waterschei-site started in 1909. At the end of that year the railroad on As was completed. It started at Zwartberg, a former testing ground for anti aircraft defense cupolas, and connected to the main railway Hasselt-Maaseik (completed 1873). At first it was an industrial goods track. With the extension of the railway to Winterslag in 1925 a passenger service was started. This meant that train stations were needed. These were built where before simple goods sheds and platforms had stood. Both stations are located next to the spot where an old route crosses the railway track.

The mining colony has a differentiated layout completely separate from the older landscape. The older settlements of Heppenzeel (1) and Waterschei (2) lie south of the large garden suburb but have little connection to it besides the historic Stalenstraat (3) and the newly cut André Dumontlaan (4). In the west the edge of the  colony corresponds to a number of large parcels on the Stralense Heide (SH). Besides the offices (O), pit towers (P), train station (T) and the large villa (V) of the colliery executive, the garden suburb has amenities such as hostels (h), a hospital (H), a school complex (S), a small park (p), two churches (K) and a culture club named 'Casino' (C).

The site chosen for the new colliery lay on the heath bordering the hamlet of Waterschei. A specialized workforce had to be brought in to sink the two pits and construct the mining rail tracks and the first functional buildings. A large tract of land was acquired for the colliery and an accompanying housings district.  Both colliery and mining colony were named after André Dumont, who initiated mining near As.

The development of the Waterschei garden village is predominantly the work of architect Gaston Voutquenne. Before he arrived at Waterschei engineer J. Verwilgen had planned a strict grid with parallel streets (1912) along which the new housing would be built. During the first building phase of the Cité André Dumont construction started near the main seat of the mining company with rows of Mulhouse Quadrangles for the workmen sinking the pits and villas for the higher echelons, including the imposing executive villa. The new housing was organized hierarchically, both in location as well in the internal layout of the dwellings.

Due to limited financial means and the First World War, building activity in Waterschei came to a temporary halt between 1914 and 1918.

During the 1920s the extension of the mining colony was resumed; this time under the auspice of Voutquenne. The stark grid of the industrial cité charbonière was abandoned by Voutquenne in favour of the garden city idiom. He designed a garden suburb in which winding roads and attention to greenery were aimed at creating a stimulating and agreeable environment for the miners. The axiality of the grid was replaced with a large curved loop that connected the ends of the main streets of the earlier grid. This layout closely follows park design of the period with a belt walk and winding paths within this perimeter that crossed off centre. The Belt road of the garden suburb was appropriately named Ceintuurlaan (a ceintuur is a belt or girdle). By July 1923, the garden suburb had 320 dwellings for workers and middle management, with some ninety more homes under construction. All the public facilities such as water, electricity and sewerage were included. 

It is often stated that the Cité André Dumont has been built in three building campaigns, the first in 1912, the second in 1925 and the final in 1947. This can clearly not be true when the urban morphology of streets and buildings is taken into consideration. The first building phase, the colony proper, (shown in deep red) probably ran from 1912 to 1915 and conforms to the colliery grid. The second building phase ran between 1920 and 1925 (shown in bright red) and encompasses the larger part of the garden suburb. An extension (shown in tangerine) was made somewhere between 1924 and '28 on the west side of the belt road. Around the same time amenities were implanted. Somewhere between 1930 and 1935 two further extensions (shown in orange) were made linking the garden suburb to the Stalenstraat and the neighbouring Zwartberg mining colony.   

At the end of the 1920s and mainly during the 1930s the garden suburb was extended beyond the belt road towards the west and south. In developing his plan Voutquenne looked to find a connection, particularly to the Stalenstraat, to the Waterschei train station and to the neighbouring Zwartberg mining colony.  The small neighbourhood behind the hospital (1928) was built to link the garden suburb to the Stalenstraat (which had developed into a commercial street with a variety of shops). This extension conforms to the older grid.

To the west two circuits were subsequently added to the belt road, connecting the Cité André Dumont with the central avenue of the neigbouring Zwartberg mining colonies. Both mining colonies were developed towards the edge of the landholdings. Thus the Cité  wasn't extended beyond the woodland on the Stralense Heide (Stralen Heath). 

The design for this large garden suburb marries the older grid (deep red) with a winding style reminiscent of garden design of the early 1900s. Part of the old grid is developed as broad avenues that frame the English inspired garden suburb. Where the two meet amenities and parks and sporting grounds are situated. The design of the garden suburb (in red) consists of a loop and an inner shortcut consisting of three curved roads. Where these roads meet large triangular public gardens are drawn in. All other roads are within the framework of these three curved roads and the two avenues. The extensions (tangerine) on the west side consist of two loops that cross and an angular connection to the main axis of the Zwartberg colony. The extension on the south follow the old grid again. This seems to suggest the older parceling was still in place here.