If you ask a Charleroi citizen how to get to the corner of Rue Tumelier and Boulevard Defontaine, perhaps they will not know. But if you ask how to find the Golden House, they will be happy to show you the right direction.

Boulevard Defontaine used to be Oriental Boulevard. During the heyday of Charleroi's industry, it was part of the quarter housing the owners of various enterprises, as well as wealthy people of art.

The architect Alfred Frere began building a house on Oriental Boulevard for himself and his family. He wanted to create "something special." And he did it: in 1899, Charleroi got the Golden House, named so for the gilded frescoes on the facade. The "special" feature was the Art Nouveau style, which had appeared in France only a year before and was outwardly unlike the usual classical, historical, or eclectic ones. The abundance of wrought elements and floral ornaments in the exterior and interior decoration made the house unique. Moreover, the gilded frescoes, which were believed to be secret symbols, attracted everyone's attention.

Art Nouveau as a style evolved from ornaments of English fabrics, colored medieval stained glass windows, and various Japanese painting and calligraphy styles. That is why Art Nouveau architecture is filled with exquisite ornate lines called Coup de Fouet (whiplash). It is a technique that came from embroidery. Another feature of Art Nouveau buildings is "stained glass" braided glazing along with large light domes.

For the sgraffito frescoes, the architect invited the Art Nouveau decorator Gabriel Van Dievoet. The central fresco of the house, above the carved balcony, depicts a triangle with the customer's initials, surrounded by stylized rays of the sun and thistle. The neighbors liked the "golden" fresco so much that the decorator immediately received several more orders. So now Charleroi boasts five houses with similar images made in sgraffito.

In 1906, the architect's house was bought by the industrialist Adolf Schuster; half a century later – by the doctor Leon Lempereur for his clinic; in 1993, it was occupied by a restaurant; later, the Golden House was transferred to the local Press Association.