The Quartier Léopold was not an immediate success. Its development really only took off when the area was incorporated into Brussels in 1853 and the Conseil communal decided to extend the Rue de la Loi, the main link between the town and the suburb. But the original plan was much simplified, and the monumental centre was never realized. More attention was paid to architectural design when a new district—the Quartier NordEst—was added to the Quartier Léopold according to plans produced by the architect Gédéon Bordiau and approved by the Conseil communal in 1875, i.e. during the administration of Jules Anspach. Square Marie-Louise and Square Ambiorix, together with Avenue Palmerston linking them together, formed a grand complex of parks and squares—possibly slightly too large in relation to the urban structure surrounding it.