Adolf Broese van Groenou (1880-1961) and Samuel de Clercq (1876-1962) Adolf Broese van Groenou and Samuel de Clercq had much in common. They shared an office and support staff for some years for cost reasons, without being associated. Their architectural careers show many parallels and both served jointly on various boards and committees, with one succeeding the other. They also both belong to the generation, for which the eclectic building style of around 1900 and the overriding influence of H.P. Berlage was the starting point. From 1914 they developed in the direction of the New Hague School under the influence of the Amsterdam School and New Building. Both architects built mainly villas, garden villages and buildings with a social purpose in The Hague, Wassenaar, Twente and De Veluwe. Their clients were also similar: colonial entrepreneurs, industrialists and descendants of noble families and the patriciate. Family background Samuel de Clercq descended from a prominent Frisian family. His father, Pieter de Clercq, was a bank director and, in 1904, an alderman in Dantumadeel. He was also a foreman of the Frisian language movement. Pieter married Maria Catharina Müller in 1874. The couple had seven children. Adolf Broese van Groenou came from a prominent family from The Hague, which had made its fortune in the cultivation and manufacture of cane sugar in what was then the Dutch East Indies. He was the fourth in a family and, when he turned seven, was placed with relatives in Holland to receive a suitable education. At the end of the nineteenth century, his parents, Wolter Broese van Groenou and Jeanette Emilia Wieseman, returned from the East Indies. They were in contact with celebrities at home and abroad, including the Belgian bibliographer and peace activist Paul Otlet and the champion of women's suffrage Aletta Jacobs. They moved in numerous fields: women's suffrage, Montessori education, Esperanto, world peace - in short, everything that occupied the Hague elite around 1900. The main similarity between the two families was a religious one; they both belonged to the Baptists. Education Both De Clercq and Broese van Groenou attended HBS, after which they studied architecture at the Polytechnic School in Delft. Both joined the Delft Student Corps and became members of the society De Poolster. De Clercq graduated in 1900, Broese van Groenou graduated four years later. Both will have taken lessons from J.F. Klinkhamer, E.H. Gugel and his successor H.J. Evers. In 1905, Broese van Groenou married Albertine Alexandrine Holle ("Nousy"), from a lineage of tea planters. In 1906 they moved into a villa designed by Broese van Groenou in Wassenaar, called De Hoeve. Broese van Groenou lived in this house until his death. In 1901-1903 De Clercq gained experience as a trainee with the firm of J.F. Klinkhamer and his partner B.J. Ouëndag. In 1904 he entered into collaboration with Jan Gratama, who was also working in those years as assistant to Prof. Evers. The young architect duo realized five projects: a double country house on the Brink in Laren, a residential house in Nieuwkoop, the Agricultural School for Girls in Rijswijk, a meeting hall for the Protestantsche Bond in Oud-Beijerland and the town hall with field police station in Vlaardingen-Ambacht. To obtain a steady income, De Clercq had a paid job at the Beversen & Van Heurn office in The Hague, concessionaires of the Zuid-Hollandse Electrische Spoorweg Maatschappij. He left this job in 1907, as the company had been transferred to the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorwegmaatschappij. He then established himself as an independent architect at 19 Nassau Dillenburgstraat in The Hague. This office annex house was designed by Broese van Groenou and financed by his parents. From 1908 to 1915 he held the additional position of lecturer in Fine Architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague. His first major commissions were villas for industrialists. Board positions, memberships and other activities Both architects were members of the Haagse Kunstkring (H.K.K.). Broese van Groenou was also chairman (1922-1926). Other members of the H.K.K. were architects such as J. Gratama, K.P.C. de Bazel, J.J. Brandes, J. Wils, H.P. Berlage, J. Stuyt and H. van der Kloot Meyburg, as well as painters, musicians and actors. De Clercq was president of the Maatschappij tot Bevordering van de Bouwkunst from 1912 to 1914, a position in which he was succeeded by Broese. There were discussions during these years about whether or not to merge the Maatschappij and the Bond van Nederlandse Architecten (BNA). In 1919 the merger took place and in 1923 the entire board met at Groenouwe, the family estate of the Broese van Groenou family in Loenen. His wealthy and influential family certainly contributed to the fact that Broese van Groenou was able to hold many administrative positions. For example, he was a member of the Beauty Commission of The Hague, a board member of the Wassenaar Building Society and also of the Technical Advisory Committee on the construction of the League of Nations Palace in Geneva. He invested a lot of time in sports activities, especially tennis and competitive rowing. After World War II, he was involved in reconstruction projects in Vlaardingen and Oostburg. Apart from correspondence in the family archives, no concrete facts are known about this. De Clercq also held numerous ancillary positions. He taught architecture at the Academy of Visual Arts (1908-1915). He was also closely involved in the founding of the Bond Heemschut and was its second secretary (1911-1913). Together with Broese van Groenou, he was a member of the Hague Beauty Commission and further, he served on numerous examination committees. Of some importance is also the role he played as aesthetic advisor to the Dienst der Zuiderzeewerken. He advocated care for the layout and the artworks to be realized in the areas to be reclaimed, including in a 1922 memorandum to the Zuiderzee Council. He was also a not undeserving draughtsman and must have produced free work in addition to study drawings. Publications De Clercq expressed his views on architecture in various writings. In a series of lectures from 1912, he called architecture the "mother art" in relation to its "sisters" painting and sculpture as well as the decorative arts. He emphasized the material aspect and the social aspects of his profession. By the latter he understood that "the art forms put to paper only become reality with the help of all kinds of intermediaries, draftsmen, supervisors, workmen, etc." Interesting is his sketch of the development of the profession. From the middle of the nineteenth century onward, he identifies a twofold development: "The classics try to proceed to the Dutch Renaissance (in a certain sense also a revival of the ancients), and thus to arrive at their own formal language. The romantics seek, by working on the mid-century architecture, to deliver something new." De Clercq sees a big step forward in the outlined development in the endeavor not to adopt the formal language of a style, but to mirror the "inner values' from which they originated." He continues: "A logical conclusion of this was that most decorative was considered out of the question, because it could be an obstacle to the construction and development of space to their full potential." He admits that this somewhat Romanesque-looking austerity can sometimes lead to beauty, as in the case of Berlage. With some younger followers, however, he observes a certain rawness, with country houses taking the form of barns. As the backlash of this, he considers the "vermicelli style" (Jugendstil), an attempt to want to be original. He continues: "Recent times have fortunately shown that there is a middle way between wanting to be original and copying. We know that we have to build on what the older times taught us, both in terms of core concepts and formal discourse - but that they did not teach us to slavishly imitate, but only to develop our artistic abilities." As a good example of this, he cites the stout, yet modestly tasteful neutrality of the society building Ons Huis (1907) by J. Verheul Dzn. in Rotterdam. De Clercq also pursued these qualities he admired in his own works. In contrast to De Clercq, Broese van Groenou did not let himself be heard much. Apart from some factual comments on his buildings published in professional journals, there is a lack of aesthetic and/or theoretical expressions. Also largely lacking are statements from contemporaries about his work. History of reception The posthumously published biography by A.H. Wegerif (1961) gives a reserved opinion of Broese van Groenou. Wegerif sees him primarily as an administrator. As an architect, Wegerif considers him to belong to another generation: "As an architect Broese van Groenou did not come strongly to the fore, but his work was tasteful, solid and attuned to the needs of his time". As main works the author mentions the family house Groenouwe, the architect's house De Hoeve and the apartment building Zorgvliet. Broese's work also plays almost no role in more recent historiography. Only the accessibility of the Broese van Groenou family archives (Haags Gemeentearchief) and a provisional access to the De Clercq family archives (Stadsarchief Amsterdam) have provided new facts about both his life and work. The photos and drawings of unpublished buildings are particularly valuable. Until World War II, Broese van Groenou worked in architecture more for the sake of creativity than for a living. Whether he worked on commission is questionable. With the exception of Zorgvliet, his buildings have not been published in professional journals. Much remains uncertain about the contemporary reception of Broese van Groenou's work. His Hague town house, Javastraat 2a, designed in eclectic style, appears in a publication by the architect G. Versteeg on Hague residential architecture (1912). Versteeg probably felt that Javastraat 2a was not worthy of imitation, for the house, together with the adjacent property of Smits & Fels (mistaken for that of Broese in the caption), shows exactly the messiness that Versteeg abhorred. At the same time, Javastraat 2a was not considered unimportant. For example, the house is included in Leliman's "Het Stadswoonhuis in Nederland gedurende de laatste vijfentwintig jaren. This book also shows, that the building style of the young Broese van Groenou does not differ substantially from that of a generation of older architects, such as C.B. Posthumus Meyes, J.F. Klinkhamer and B.J. Ouëndag. The influence of Berlage is also unmistakable, especially in the use of natural stone. This can also be seen at De Hoeve, where internally the material brick is left visible as clean masonry. The design for Groenouwe attracted early attention, but critics have also commented only sparingly on this structure. J.P. Mieras described the country house in the 'Bouwkundig Weekblad' (1924) briefly but praisingly: "The building has its specific cachet and in the, so to speak, almost refined perfection with which this building meets its demands and intentions, lies its charm". Little has also been written about De Clercq's life and work by his contemporaries. His early country houses for Twente industrialists, some of his Hague villas and De Scholekster were published. After an article on the De Centrale bank building, things went quiet. His death was mentioned only briefly in the "Bouwkundig Weekblad. De Clercq's buildings have not been particularly pleasing to architectural historians. De Centrale received no place in the handbooks, and for the expansion of garden village Heyplaat, De Clerq rarely received appreciation. His Villa Gondang has since received monument status, as has the Nutsspaarbank - built in collaboration with E.F. Ehnle. Buildings that have recently attracted attention are the WAVO Park and the Johanna House for the Wilhelmina Alida Van Ommeren Foundation in Wassenaar. Stylistic development In the absence of sufficient material, it remains difficult to speak of a stylistic development in the work of Broese van Groenou and that of De Clercq. The former built, in addition to working-class and middle-class houses in garden villages, mainly villas until about 1917. Without exception, these properties show a playful combination of Berlagian influences and elements of the Tudor country house style. After World War I, the influence of the Amsterdam School is noticeable. In this respect, the collaboration with De Clercq was probably an influential factor. Their collaboration probably predates 1914, when they worked together on Tuindorp Kerkehout in Wassenaar. A more structural collaboration came about in 1917, when they moved into the Cultura office building. It was the influence of Jan Gratama that led to this unusually modern-looking office building in the Hague School style. Together with the Tubantia residence, the (family) mausoleum at Groenouwe and Zorgvliet, this forms the most progressive part of Broese van Groenou's oeuvre. In his early work, De Clercq is a purebred Berlagian. The most striking examples of this are the manufacturers' villa Op den Esch and the office building for the Klattensche Cultuur Maatschappij (1919). De Clercq also drew inspiration for his country houses from the Dutch classicism of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. With De Centrale, he clearly showed what a contemporary office building should look like. No expense was spared for the boardroom, so that this space - with stained glass, wood carvings and murals - creates a certain discrepancy with the businesslike exterior. Contemporary is also the design for the villa Borneolaan 18 in Hilversum (1925), in which the influence of J.J. Brandes may be noticeable. The Amelink and Marckendael in Ginneken (1927) also demonstrate De Clerq's pursuit of a more contemporary building style for country houses in a business-expressionist style. A similar view is expressed in the buildings WAVO-park and Johannahuis. In the WAVO-park buildings, a continuous architrave and a different floor plan somewhat camouflage the harsh reality of "ordinary porch houses. Both Broese van Groenou and De Clercq were influenced by Berlage. However, Berlage resonated more with De Clercq than with Broese van Groenou. The latter tended more towards the English tradition. De Clercq sought more connection to the eighteenth-century Dutch tradition. This resulted in somewhat stiff, very stately country houses. The restoration ethic of De Clercq: Blijdenstein House (1912-1916) In 1912, De Clercq was asked to remodel the residence of H.B. Blijdenstein, a very wealthy textile baron. De Clercq was forced by the situation of the property to design a new wing on one side. The city council then came with a request to change the design because of the traffic situation at the site. De Clercq took the bold decision to dismantle and move the facade, turning the axis of the house a quarter turn. In 1913-1916, he designed a new building behind the old facade. In the process, the classic sandstone façade was reused as a center-risal for a wider mansion. Because he felt that the past should not be faked, the newly built parts were done in contemporary materials. The building has a central entrance for special occasions and a second on the side facade under a "port cochère. On the first floor are the living, children's and lecture rooms, as well as the men's room. Also located here are the kitchen, utility room and an indoor service area. The showpiece is the centrally located hall with the dining room behind it. In his description, the architect provided the following details, among others: "The stairwell has a floor plan consisting of two semicircles connected by a straight section. It runs through two floors and is lit by a glass dome (atelier Gips, The Hague). This, as well as the walkway and staircase, connects to the curved shapes of the floor plan, creating what I think is a special effect. The ground floor of the hall has a high blanc-brouillé marble paneling, the woodwork of doors and stairs there is dark oak; upstairs the finish is simpler. The dining room, situated within easy reach of both the living and service areas, is equipped with a sandstone fireplace, and also decorated with oak-quartz paneling (firm of Jansen & Zn., Amsterdam), above which green and old-gold wall covering." Wine House Tower Zutphen (1920-1921) An important test case for De Clercq became the restoration of the Wine House at Zutphen. Monument conservation in the Netherlands at the turn of the century was strongly influenced by Victor de Stuers and his advisor P.J.H. Cuypers. Already in the 1990s, however, there were voices condemning reconstructive restorations. A change in that direction brought the publication of the "Basic Principles and Regulations for the Preservation, Repair and Extension of Ancient Buildings" (1917). In 1918, the National Bureau for the Preservation of Monuments was established. J. Kalf was given a very influential position as director of the National Office and as a member of Section B (Preservation and Restoration) of the National Commission for the Preservation of Monuments. In restorations, Kalf promoted the contribution of contemporary elements and therefore engaged more or less progressive architects, such as De Clercq, W.M. Dudok, J.W. Hanrath, M. de Klerk, W. Kromhout, J. Wils and later G. Friedhoff. In 1920 De Clercq was given the difficult task of rebuilding the seventeenth-century Wijnhuistoren tower in Zutphen. Using the fragments of the external (stone) construction, an almost complete reconstruction of the old situation was possible. However, De Clercq also made a "modern" design, in which the concrete supporting structure - needed to reinforce the charred beam construction - remained visible. In this alternative, moreover, the tower would have a less pointed crown. As De Clercq could have foreseen, the city council chose to reconstruct the old familiar tower around a concrete skeleton. Nevertheless, the course of events in Zutphen was most likely not to the liking of Kalf, who in 1923 commissioned De Klerk to rebuild the tower of the church in IJsselstein that burned down in 1911. Villas and country houses Both De Clercq and Broese van Groenou were builders of villas and country houses. After 1870, villa and country house construction took off under the influence of the industrial revolution. There was no tradition of country house building in the Netherlands and therefore it was partly up to the wishes and desires of the client, how the building finally took shape. In the relatively short period of intensive villa and country house building, which came to an end with the crisis of 1930, a wide variety of styles can be distinguished: the chalet style, the English country house style, the classicism or baroque style of eighteenth-century estates, the rural farmhouse form (thatched roof) and finally building forms, which sought to connect to new developments such as the Berlagian brick construction, the Amsterdam School, the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and, to a lesser extent, De Stijl. In practice, a way to reconcile heterogeneous elements was sometimes sought with varying results. Important factors for site selection were infrastructure, land price, soil type, natural beauty and social factor. Hejmo Nia (1907-1912) The Van Stolk Park in The Hague formed a beautifully situated expansion area, which had been built on since the end of the eighteenth century. Three families of the Broese van Groenou family occupied a villa there: Orania (Parkweg 46), Van Stolkweg 37 and Hejmo Nia (Esperanto for "Our House"). Hejmo Nia was designed by Van Broese Groenou for his parents and was clearly intended as a monumental creation. The building clearly shows Berlagian features. The facades are dominated by large cross windows with bluestone lintels. On the first floor, these are fitted with shutters. The skylights have stained glass, according to old Dutch custom. The tent roof has a lantern, which originally served as a watchtower. The entrance to the building is located in the right end wall. The entrance is accentuated by an arched window with stained glass, above which there is a sculpture of a carbuncle head flanked by two wings. Above it again is a tessellated relief depicting the sugarcane harvest in Java. The sculptures were designed by Francina Carolina (Fransje) Broese van Groenou- Vreede and executed by W.C. Brouwer. Behind the series of six narrow windows above this relief is the bathroom. On the first floor, the rooms are arranged around the monumental living hall, which also has the function of a stairwell. On the ground floor are the checkroom, drawing room, living room and conservatory, as well as a dining room, a "sink room" and a billiard room. A stately white marble staircase leads to the first floor. There are the bathroom, a second checkroom, three sitting rooms, a boudoir and a loggia. Attic and basement are mainly intended as service rooms. An interesting detail is the kitchen in the basement, which has a separate room in addition to the regular kitchen. Here the lady of the house could cook in the Javanese way. Parkweg 17 (1909-1910) Using photos and drawings, this Broese van Groenou building, demolished in 1972, can be reconstructed. On the Parkweg side, the front facade creates a rustic impression through the porch and the adjacent bay window, each of which supports a balcony with a wooden balustrade. Monumental is the flat side façade with an entrance party dominated by an entrance door with a wide arched natural stone lintel and overhead light. This motif recalls buildings of the Art Nouveau period, where such a solution was often used. There is a frieze of decorative brickwork under the overhanging eaves. This frieze is interrupted on this side by the two retracted gable roofs of the dormers. An indoor staircase in the front hall leads to a rectangular "hall," which also serves as a stairwell. From here the other rooms are accessible: parlor, living room, dining room, serving room, consulting room and checkroom. The kitchen is located in the basement, which is indicated by the presence of an elevator. Upstairs are the men's room, boudoir, bedrooms, office, linen room and bathroom. The garage in the garden has a double gate. The masonry is done with traditional braiding. Zorgvliet In 1910, a new location for villa construction became available in The Hague: Zorgvliet. By 1929, all the land in Zorgvliet had been sold and the exploitation company was able to close its books. Within two decades the park was transformed into a villa park. De Clercq and Broese van Groenou had a seat on the Beauty Commission, which in 1913 took an in-depth look at the newly constructed villa park. De Clercq served as a delegate from the main board of the Maatschappij tot Bevordering van de Bouwkunst, Broese van Groenou as a representative of the The Hague branch of that society. Both fulfilled the role of a kind of 'Bauberatungsstelle' and suggested improvements in sketch form for designs, which in their eyes were of insufficient quality. Zorgvliet became, as it were, a sample of villa construction of the 1920s in the Netherlands, with architects such as Co Brandes, Smits & Fels, Limburg, Ed. Cuypers, A.D.N. and J.G. van Gendt, Joh. Mutters jr., J.W. Hanrath and J.A.G. van der Steur. Dudok later built his only Hague building there, Villa Sevensteijn (1920-1921). This modern work must have impressed Broese van Groenou and De Clercq. Villa Gondang (1913) In Zorgvliet, De Clercq's villa Gondang occupies a special place. The sloping terrain necessitated a different form and layout. De Clercq designed an elongated building, the widest side of which is fairly close to the road. The building's symmetry gives it a classicist appearance, which has been given a southern accent by the cantilevered men's room and the conservatory, both with arched windows. The basement is fully visible at the front of the building. In this basement are a driver's quarters, a consulting room and various service rooms. On the bell floor, on the street side are a gentleman's room, equipped with a monumental fireplace, flanked by a living room and a bedroom. A second bedroom is located behind the right side wall. On the garden side are a large dining room with an adjoining serving room, a checkroom and a bathroom. On the left side facade, above a double garage, a conservatory in the form of a glazed loggia and a terrace has been built. Upstairs are sitting rooms and bedrooms for the family's growing children, a studio, a guest room and a darkroom. Villa Tubantia (1921) In 1921, Broese van Groenou designed a villa on Tobias Asserlaan in Zorgvliet for his sister and brother-in-law - J.R. and F.W. van Wulfften Palthe Broese van Groenou. For this couple, he had converted a villa designed by J.H. Eshuys in the Van Stolk Park in 1910 and designed country house 't Kruisselt in 1920. The name 'Tubantia' (Twente) refers to the textile industry. The new commission resulted in a very progressive design for Broese van Groenou. The design is strongly related to the style of Frank Lloyd Wright and thus to the concrete villa in Huis ter Heide (1915-1916) by R. van 't Hoff and 'Papaverhof' (1920) by J. Wils. Tubantia is a brick building with flat roofs and far overhanging eaves. The windows have iron frames with fairly dense rods and framed in hard stone frames. The entrance, cornice and floors are accented by bands of decorative brickwork, strongly reminiscent of the Amsterdam School in form. The horizontal accentuations here take the place of the concrete bands in Van 't Hoff's work. The traditional interior with a heavy beamed ceiling and a tiled high fireplace betrays the conservative taste of the builder. Zorgvliet apartment building (1923-1927) After Groenouwe, the Zorgvliet apartment building is Broese van Groenou's most imposing structure. Stylistically it fits in with villa Tubantia. All plans are co-signed by A. Alberts, an engineer about whom little is known and who possibly mainly advised on the concrete constructions. The apartment building therefore represents one of the earliest forms of high-rise building in The Hague. It is constructed of brick around a skeleton of reinforced concrete. Cooperation with A. Alberts also took place in the design of the M.E.T.S. tennis courts, a project implemented at about the same time as the apartment building. For Broese, it is remarkable that unlike usual - and as far as is known - he did not build here for any of his relatives. Apartment building Zorgvliet was situated on a pear-shaped, sunken site on Alexander Gogelweg. Due to the unfavorable situation, the site had remained undeveloped, and because of the park environment, there were requirements for the buildings in terms of height and adaptation. The originally submitted design included four buildings of four stories each with flat roofs. The windows of some of the apartments were positioned to extend over the corner of the building volume in order to provide views, a construction method made possible by the use of concrete. The design was rejected by the Director of Urban Development, Bakker Schut. The revised, executed design more closely approximates traditional villa construction. The side facades in particular give the impression of very wide-plan villas. The main building has four floors above ground level, unprecedentedly high for that environment for that time. The wings stagger from three to four stories, thus - seen from a distance - achieving a gradual ascent of building masses. In total, the building houses 32 apartments. The building has three entrances, which are connected by corridors and 'cours'. The apartments have their own kitchen, bathroom and w.c. On the first floor there is a central kitchen and a dining room. Guest rooms for guests are located in the mansard roof of the central building. The curious towers served to supply water, as the pressure of the municipal water supply system at night was insufficient to adequately supply the upper floors. With the Zorgvliet flat, modern architecture made its appearance in the park. Bank and office buildings in The Hague Because of their influential connections, Broese van Groenou and De Clercq were also able to design some commercial buildings. In the case of Broese van Groenou, this involved a branch for various family businesses, including those in the colonial sugar trade. De Clercq also designed for a colonial trade establishment with his office building for the Klattensche Cultuur Maatschappij. De Clercq was also involved in designing bank buildings early on. Possibly this was related to his background. After all, his father came from the financial world. Nutsspaarbank (1917-1921) In 1917, De Clercq and E.F. Ehnle submitted the plan to demolish the lunatic asylum on the Riviervismarkt in The Hague and replace it with a new bank building. After World War I, this plan was realized. The building is thirteen window axes wide and has a high hipped roof. The style is a derivative of late sixteenth-century brick architecture. The facade creates a somewhat unsettled impression partly because of the decorative brickwork and the balcony with the loggia on the second floor. The historizing building style was probably chosen because of its location near the Great Church. The high hipped roof and the mid-risal with the gable are elements that are more common in De Clercq's work. Otherwise, the style is rather characteristic of Ehnle. Cultura (1917-1919) An important breaking point in the architectural career of Broese van Groenou is the office building Cultura. With this building - presumably designed with advice from De Clercq - he bids farewell to the designs, which built on the nineteenth-century tradition. It is clearly Gratama's dwellings on Plaslaan (1916) in Rotterdam that were emulated in the final design for Cultura. The houses are characterized by a strong verticalism and a decorative use of brick. In 1923, due to J. Blaauw's review of the retrospective exhibition of The Hague Art Circle in the magazine "Wendingen," this style was given the designation "New Hague School. Cultura was initially designed as a double mansion with office, as this was stipulated as a condition in the deeds of sale. In June 1920, a new application was submitted for an office building with two residences. This application was granted. The nice thing is that the first design for Cultura from 1917, with its high roof and monumental chimneys, was still very much in keeping with the traditionalist building style of Broese's early town buildings and had something of a provincial town hall or a stately bank building. On the first floor there were four offices and at the back a janitor's house with the kitchen. The first and second floors were furnished as offices. On the third floor are offices and - on the street side - living spaces. The Centrale (1933-1935) The Centrale Arbeiders- Verzekerings- en Depositobank in The Hague was founded on February 13, 1904. The office at Houtmarkt 10 soon became unsatisfactory. De Clercq was commissioned to modernize it and in March 1921 they moved into remodeled premises on Rijnstraat. Around 1933, De Clercq was commissioned to design a new office, which was occupied in the spring of 1936. The Centrale had several branch offices, usually in existing buildings in the inner cities. These were converted by De Clercq for this purpose: Rotterdam (1926), Amsterdam (1932) and Arnhem (1936). For Groningen, he designed an entirely new building in 1937. Although the headquarters of the Centrale no longer exists, a good picture of the building can be gained from the descriptions and the surviving documentation. The floor plan had a three-part articulation: a series of office rooms along the front façade, behind them a middle strip serving the stairs, light shafts, corridors and air ducts, and a series of office ducts along the rear façade. On the rear facade, a chamfered corner can be seen, which is the result of building supervision requirements for the benefit of adjacent properties. The first floor also contained a living area with living room, bathroom and kitchen. In the administration rooms, movable wooden partitions created the possibility of dividing the space as desired. On the top floor is a large conference room, which adjoins a loggia. This has overhead lighting, as the deeper windows might not provide enough light. The building is constructed of yellow Frisian brick. In addition, natural stone was used for the plinth, vitrified clay for the sills and cover bands, and bronze for doors and windows. The building is equipped with a closed-circuit climate control system. The vents were combined with Gispen lighting, making them less conspicuous. Air supply was through a tower in the courtyard garden. The most luxurious room was the Supervisory Board room. This room contained stained glass windows with figurative representations and wall paintings by W.A. van der Walle. The furniture in this room was designed by De Clerq himself. Much attention was paid to the cart libraries, with roll-up ladders and steel roll-up doors. Under the basement were rooms for archives and installations. On the flat roof was a garden. If desired, the building could be raised by one floor. The entrance to the building was flanked by two sculptures representing Providence (widow with child) and Labor (man with concrete shears). For the design of the building sculpture, De Clercq originally had J. Mendes da Costa in mind, but he was not chosen because of objections from the Board of Commissioners. However, Da Costa's successor, J.C. Altorf, was commissioned to carve the ventilation grills in the Supervisory Board's room. For the sculptures on either side of the entrance, a multiple commission was issued in 1934. The winning design was that of Corry Heslenfeld. The sculptures are designed in a kind of "social realism. They contrast with the austere, almost cubist architecture and were therefore not conceived as an integral part, but as an independent addition. Wassenaar Broese van Groenou and De Clercq built a lot in Wassenaar. Around 1900, an increasing number of citizens settled outside the inner city of The Hague. Private companies bought up estates in order to create spacious villa parks. Among others, the architects J.Th. Wouters, Z. Hoek and Co Brandes were involved in the development of Wassenaar into a villa village. For villa park De Kieviet, De Clercq designed a villa, which did not materialize due to World War I. In 1914, Broese van Groenou designed a modest villa for the NV Maatschappij van Onroerende goederen Meijendel. This project, too, was not realized. Nevertheless, the designs are interesting because they illustrate the influence of the Amsterdam School on Broese van Groenou and evidently influenced the designs for Groenouwe. The Hoeve (1906) De Hoeve was the residence of Broese van Groenou and was executed by the architectural firm Fletterman. Together with this firm, Broese also designed the mansion Koninginnegracht 22 in The Hague in 1909. It is not clear what Fletterman's part was in the design of De Hoeve, but it is likely that the design should largely be attributed to Broese van Groenou himself. It was also published under his name in "The Modern Country House in the Netherlands. Because of the many bay windows, balconies, shutters and dormers, De Hoeve makes a somewhat restless impression. The overhanging roofs rest on gutter chocks. Tall chimneys and a lantern with a swinging bell crown the building. A nice Berlage quote is the chimney, which is led via an air arch to a higher flue. The floor plan is irregular. Through the entrance, one enters a living hall, which incorporates the burgundy staircase after the English example. To the right of the living hall is the parlor. On the first floor are kitchen areas, a dining room, an office and a bicycle shed, a practical novelty. Upstairs are the bedrooms, a bathroom and a drawing room. In the interior, the brick is left exposed as clean masonry in a Berlagian manner. The interior is richly detailed with profiled door frames, consoles and a baluster in the shape of a bird of prey. Some of the furniture was Broese van Groenou's own design and execution. WAVO Park (1927-1928) The couple Philippus J. van Ommeren and Wilhelmina Alida de Voogd had a new villa, designed by De Clercq, built in 1923 on their estate Rust en Vreugd - on the Schouwweg in Wassenaar. The curious appearance of the villa can be explained by the desire of the travel-loving clients to add an Egyptian touch to their new abode. Four oversized sculptures, representing the seasons, and cast-iron Doric columns adorn the facade. In 1926, the couple established the Wilhelmina Alida Foundation for persons of the "upper social class" who had fallen into financial distress through no fault of their own. The foundation wanted to provide them with decent housing free of charge. To this end, the WAVO park was built on the west side of Rust en Vreugd, along the Schouwweg. The crescent plan has a center pavilion, intended for the management and central facilities. Both wings are also enclosed by a raised pavilion. This housed a tea room and grocery store at the time. Surrounding the buildings is a ditch, which widens into a pond on the park side. The modest park landscaping consists of weeping willows, rhododendrons and azaleas. The complex has 28 downstairs and upstairs housing units of different sizes. Each housing unit has its own feature in the form of a plaque construction earthwork of a flower, designed by Eline Francoise Canter Cremers-Van der Does. A clock, flanked by gable stones bearing the dates 1927 and 1928, adorns the center pavilion. Stylistically, the WAVO house is characterized by a classicist language of form, which gives it a strong monumental allure. Pilasters connect the floors, and a double, white-painted cornice outlines the flat roof. Apparently the intention was to give the residents a "country house feel. Compared to The Oystercatcher, De Clercq deliberately employed a more conservative idiom here. The houses derive their individuality mainly from the rounding of the front and rear facades. Unlike the traditional working-class or middle-class house, the apartments have a "hall," which is clearly a status symbol, and a loggia or balcony. All apartments also have a bathroom with a bathtub and are equipped with central heating. The more spacious type of dwelling was envisioned for two people: 'In such an apartment, it is easy to accommodate all kinds of combinations of living together: husband and wife, two ladies, gentleman or lady with nurse or servant, and the like'. All kinds of practical conveniences have been thought of. The front room has a mantelpiece with a gas stove next to it, so that in one room it can be stoked at all times. The kitchen has one door, which leads directly to the front door and to the hall. Furthermore, the kitchen has a fireplace, suitable for stove or gas appliances. In addition to ordinary cabinets and countertops, there is a cabinet with its own vent for a closed garbage can and a folding ironing board with leg. Near the kitchen are located mostly pantry and work closet, as well as attic space. In each bathroom there is a bathtub and complete sink and also a gas stove. A possible third room has a complete sink built into an alcove. After World War II, the heavily damaged corner building with the tea room was demolished and replaced by a retirement home: the Willy House. De Clercq was in charge of this conversion. The pavilion was intended for the residents of the nearby Johannahuis rest home, who could no longer live independently. The Johannahuis (1926-1928) The Johannahuis was also commissioned by the Van Ommerens. It was completed in 1931. The building was named after Mrs. Van Ommeren's mother and was intended for sixty elderly, single ladies. The Johanna House is a large building with a rectangular floor plan. The four wings are grouped around a courtyard. The mansion-like front building contains several service rooms on the first floor. On the bell floor are the residence of the director and a number of collective facilities, such as a store, a conversation and dining room. The apartments consisted of a sitting room and one or two bedrooms. The complex accommodated 66 people, including five spare apartments and two guest rooms. The architecture of the Johanna House, as is usually the case with De Clercq, is remarkably understated. Most striking is the semicircular absis-like extension in the courtyard. This part of the complex possibly shows the influence of architects from The Hague, such as J. Limburg and H.F. Mertens. The stairwell has elongated vertical windows, which have stained glass. De Clercq usually paid great attention to the stairwells in the buildings he designed. In doing so, he showed a preference for round openings in the stair balustrade. According to an old description, the apartments looked as follows: In the living rooms there is a kitchenette with granite countertop with upper and lower cabinets, an electrical outlet and hot and cold running water. The bedroom has a fixed sink and a bidet, both with hot and cold running water. The loggia is accessible from both the living room and the bedroom and has a stone balustrade and a tiled floor. The building has steel windows. Circulation within the building is primarily through corridors, which are located around the courtyard. Vertically, a semicircular main staircase connects the bell floor to the first floor. In addition, there are "back stairs" and service stairs. All stairs are made of reinforced concrete for fire safety reasons. The Johannahuis was extended twice by De Clercq. In 1932-1933 the U-shaped rear part of the complex was provided with an extra floor. When the building was raised, the roof of the rear section was lifted and then provided with an additional floor, which makes a rather improvised impression due to the potted timber construction. Twente manufacturer estates and summer houses Between 1890 and 1920, large-scale country estates were founded in Twente around Almelo, Enschede and Oldenzaal. Architects, including De Clercq and to a lesser extent Broese van Groenou, profited from this wave of commissions. Op den Esch (1911) The client of this villa, Van Rossum, was an industrialist. The mansion is unusually severe in style for this type of building. It was, as De Clercq himself put it, conceived as fitting into the Dutch and North German brick tradition. Instead of the usual thatched roofs, dark blue enamel roof tiles were used here - with an eye to air pollution. In the flat facade treatment, Berlage's influence is clearly discernible. The center-risal has a gable that is topped with a chimney, giving the house a distinguished appearance. On the right side is located a loggia, whose pillars are crowned with inverted stone Ionic capitals. The building has a nameplate and year of construction in the form of building earthwork of the firm of Brewer. The entrance to the villa is on the left side of the property. At the front is a double living room, at the rear a large dining room. The kitchen is extended behind the house. Upstairs are three bedrooms at the front. At the rear are a guest room and a bathroom with bathtub as well as toilet. Above the entrance there is a maid's room on the left. The Weele (1911) This building was designed for the Van Heek-Jannink family. De Clercq himself said about it: "The assignment was mainly to surround two large rooms and a very large veranda with some annexes and service rooms, in addition to many bedrooms upstairs. The plan sufficiently indicates how this solution was found. The main staircase leads into a hall for its lower part, but is further closed by a door, muffling the noise from above. Paneling with built-in cabinets, with benches, etc., is placed along the walls of the stairwell. The dining room is simply panelled and, like the hall, the wooden construction of the ceiling remains visible. Externally, plastering was necessary because of the poor finish and color of the Twente stone, and because of the rural appearance, a thatched roof was chosen; the colors of the paints are strong green and strong yellow. The whole is more or less symmetrically resolved, and as little as possible conceived as an accidentally composed 'cottage'." An interior photo shows that the property was decorated in a simple, pseudo-old Dutch style. In 1916, the property was enlarged at the rear. In 1924-1925 an intermediate porch and an extension serving the kitchens were built. The originally open porch was later changed to a conservatory. The gardener's house dates from 1927. The Hölterhof (1912) This summer house was also built for the Jannink family. It has a so-called butterfly plan. On the left side is a rural-looking extension, in which the pantry is located. This is adjacent to the kitchen and a serving room. At the rear is a large children's room. Centrally located is the entrance with the open hallway, which provides access to the children's room through a small gap. The other wing houses the living room, a toilet room and a stairwell. The floor has three large bedrooms, a study and a bathroom. In the attic, as usual, the servants' quarters will be located. In 1929 an extension with two wings and a stair tower took place at the rear. This created an x-shaped floor plan. Similar expansions took place at other country houses and had to do with a change of function. The country houses were increasingly equipped for permanent residence. In the case of Het Hölterhof, the stronger need for representation also seems to have played a role. The staircase turret gave the building the allure of an aristocratic country house. It is not inconceivable that elements of this country house inspired Broese van Groenou's design. The Kruisselt (1920) This manufacturer's country house in De Lutte was built by Broese van Groenou for a family member. The facade is strongly defined by a porch between two bay windows, each supporting a balcony with openwork stone parapet. The main building is flanked by two receding and lower wings, whose roofs are inserted into the roof of the main building with wolf ends. These side pavilions also have a bay window crowned by a balcony. Originally, the mansion had a thatched roof. This roof has been replaced with a tile roof. Large windows offer views of the rural surroundings. The Amelink (1922) Het Amelink was the "ancestral castle" of the Blijdenstein family and had been owned by the family since 1741. Around 1922, De Clercq was commissioned to build a new country house on the estate to replace the old house. The architect designed a country house with a rather severe front facade, which was somewhat brightened by the use of building earthwork. Viewed on the side and rear facades, the house has a more classical appearance, recalling Tudor-style country houses. Accompanying the house are a chauffeur's house with double garage, a gardener's house and a teahouse with a high thatched roof in the style of the Amsterdam school. Garden villages Garden villages formed an alternative to the usual street plan of the expansion districts. Especially outside Amsterdam, where land was too expensive, almshouses were realized in the first decades of the twentieth century. Within the issue of social housing around 1914, the creation of almshouses and garden villages was a highly topical matter. Lansink (1911) The Hengelosche Bouwvereniging had been dedicated to the housing of workers since 1867. In 1910 the Tuindorp 't Lansink department was founded. The layout of 't Lansink is typical of Dutch garden villages: a center in the form of a square, gateway buildings, stores and facilities and varied traditional buildings with a relatively low density. A north-south orientation was usually deliberately chosen. Broese van Groenou was involved in 't Lansink at an early stage. Unlike the usually mentioned 'two building blocks', he designed at least five different types of middle-class houses. However, it is difficult to determine with certainty which houses were designed by him. L. Zwiers published a double official's house (type C) in his 'Kleine Woningen' (1923). These houses have a mirrored floor plan. On the first floor are a front and back room 'en suite'. The entrance is under a covered terrace. A tiled hallway gives access to the stairs, the basement, a toilet, the kitchen and both rooms. The kitchen gives access to an expanded utility room. Upstairs are the bedrooms, a bathroom with bathtub, a storage room and a drying shelf above the utility room. A variation of this house are the type T houses, whose entrance is shifted to the side walls. A square stairwell gives access to a small front room and a large living room. The kitchen and utility room are located behind the house. Upstairs is a third bedroom instead of a bathroom. On C.T. Storck Street there is another variation, where the gables are placed outward and the terraces form the center part. French doors give access to the front garden. The type C and type T houses have deep front gardens, which are separated from the public road by brick garden walls. The windows of these houses have wooden shutters on the first floor and sometimes on the first floor. Related to the civil servant's house type C are the houses EE, which are distinguished by the fact that the floor is not plastered. Only the top gable is decorated with half-timbering. At the rear, the buildings make a closed impression. Different in style are the houses type BG1, in which the floor of the central rose protrudes over the bay windows below. In these houses, the gables are accommodated as dormers under a joint slightly raised roof. This makes the double houses look like modest villas. Striking is the wall dam near the porch, which is designed as a buttress. BG2 is a double house in a historicizing style. It has a more 'urban' appearance due to the pseudo-gables. The living room faces the front facade and the sitting room faces the backyard. The toilet is next to the entrance at the bottom of the 'warande'. The window area in the front and rear facades is quite small by modern standards. On the first floor, the so-called monastery windows are shuttered. These houses also have no bathroom, but do have a basement. In the designs of these middle-class houses, the hand of Broese van Groenou is clearly recognizable, for example in his preference for bay windows and verandas. Type BG1 can be compared to De Hoeve, BG2 to the Hague building Koninginnegracht 22 and types T, C and EE appear to be greatly reduced versions of a villa such as Duinauwe. Oostdorp (1913) and Kerkehout (1914). In 1912, on the initiative of the mayor of Wassenaar, jhr. B.Ph.S.A. Storm van 's-Gravesande, the Wassenaarsche Bouwvereniging was founded. The aim of the society was to build a workers' garden village for non-residents. Broese van Groenou was secretary of the association in 1913-1914. The architect and project developer J.Th. Wouters also played an important role. Broese van Groenou's designs for Oostdorp are dated 1913; construction began in 1914. Oostdorp consists of 49 houses and two stores, arranged in eight clusters. The street plan is rectangular accessed by a gatehouse at the beginning of Bloemluststraat. Perpendicular to this main axis is Hallekensstraat. Outside the symmetrical layout are Rozensteinstraat and Oostdorperweg. The project was published in the 1921 treatise on the theme of workers' housing by Berlage, Wils and Keppler. The entrance gate and the little gardens behind it make a pleasant impression and must have contrasted favorably with the dreary, narrow streets in the urban working-class neighborhoods. The houses are simple in design and constructed entirely in brick construction. Some variation in the facades is obtained by the gable tops. The houses did not have a bathroom. To meet the need for bathing facilities, one of the houses was soon converted into a bathhouse. That the neighborhood was found attractive is evidenced by the fact that in 1917 another 33 houses were added. A few years later (1919) more homes were commissioned by the St. Willibrordus building society, but these were designed by other architects. A second project of the Wassenaarsche Bouwvereniging was Kerkehout. Due to material shortages, construction did not start until after the First World War. The complex consisted of 43 houses and two stores, located on Kerkehout (formerly Kerkelaan) and Louisestraat. Of the six blocks, four were designed by Broese van Groenou and two by De Clercq. The houses are similar in type to their predecessors in Oostdorp. The gatehouse characteristic of garden villages is not missing either; it is decorated with building-value work. Kerkehout was expanded in later times with houses in a business style of construction by the architectural firm Granpré Molière, Verhagen and Kok, among others. Expansion Heyplaat (1924-1928, 1930, 1938) In 1902, De Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (RDM) was founded on the left bank of the Maas. The shipyard provided repair services for sea-going vessels, soon joined by the construction of ships. As the company grew, the number of workers and civil servants increased. Because the distance between the company and housing was too great, it was decided to establish a workers' colony. N.V. Bouwmaatschappij Heyplaat was founded for this purpose. A narrow strip of building land was available for the construction of workers' housing, enclosed by the factory and the water. The neighborhood was initially designed by H.A.J. Baanders. The problem was to avoid the dreaded elongated streets, while the narrow strip of building land made little else possible. In consultation with the director of the garden village, D.C. Endert Jr. in 1924-1928 and 1938, De Clercq expanded the neighborhood in two phases with workers' housing. Single-family dwellings were no longer the norm. However, the desire for larger attics and garden sheds was taken into account. All houses were plastered and wallpapered and equipped with water closets. A bathtub could be placed under the kitchen sink. The houses were equipped with electric light. Housing blocks for two to five families were added to the village. There were two types of houses: a small type, consisting of a kitchen and three rooms, and a large type, consisting of a kitchen and five rooms. De Clercq also designed a centrally located public school. Garden architect D.F. Tersteeg took care of the layout of the gardens located on the public road. Double villa-shaped houses were built for civil servants (type P), and a doctor's residence cum pharmacy was also built. The plans were executed by the RDM construction office, under the direction of H. Stoopman. Churches According to De Clercq's notes, he provided the following designs for the expansion of Heyplaat: 1924-1928 workers' housing; 1924 Reformed Elim Church and youth building; 1925 Catholic St. Bonifatius Church and internal remodeling of party building with theater hall and cinema; 1926 doctors' residence cum pharmacy; 1928 engineer's residence for H. Stoopman and bakery; 1930 expansion of the custodial school and plan for a residence for the teacher; 1930 Dutch Reformed Juliana Church with consistory and youth room; 1931 double engineer's residence; 1938 Beatrix music pavilion with annexes, various workers' and middle class residences and double enlarged party hall and (cinema) theater; 1946 plan expansion Dutch Reformed Church. Of these works, the churches are the most noteworthy. It is quite exceptional, if not unique, that in one village there are three churches built shortly after each other by one architect. Not surprisingly, at first glance the churches show many similarities. Variation is found mainly in the spires, which still ensures recognizability. That relatively modest buildings can contain interesting details is illustrated by the Catholic church. This has a cruciform plan with an attached front hall. The tower is located asymmetrically on the street side. Iconic are the three high lancet windows of the transept, which are connected by a triangular spar arch made of decorative masonry. On this side of the church the presbytery was built. Characteristic of the church is the use of ornamental masonry. On the facade of the nave and above the entrance are incorporated in ornamental masonry cross motifs. In the interior, laminated wooden vault ribs are used, covered with dark brown stained wood. The use of such prefabricated truss construction from commercial construction must have been something new for a church at that time. Combined with the exposed masonry, it gives a somewhat somber but intimate mood to the building. The stained glass is of later date than construction. The altar is placed on an elevation in an altar niche under a pointed barrel vault. The floor is decorated with tiles in yellow, red, white and black, laid in diamond and zigzag patterns. The elements defining Catholic worship are certainly the work of the architect Poortman. Two remarkable buildings : The Oystercatcher and Groenouwe (1919). De Clercq's design of The Oystercatcher must have been progressive in its time. The idea of a double bay window in combination with a flat roof with a large overhang was most likely borrowed from a villa by Gratama. His Landhuis at Bennebroek (1922) bears a more than coincidental resemblance to De Scholekster. The far overhanging flat roofs go back to Wright and were already applied by Berlage in 1913 in his villa for L. Simons in The Hague. Remarkable about De Clercq's villa is the application of a sprayed-on covering with granular cement of the brick facade from the plinth. This structure lends the house a rustic character, allowing it to blend in well with the Bergen dunes. The windows, judging by the thin rebates and bars, are made of steel. The protruding roof points at the corners, combined with the exposed concrete, give the country cottage the appearance of a gazebo. The floor plan is characterized by a square center section formed by a full-width living room, a smaller room, a kitchen and a stairwell. At the rear is an extension with an entrance hall, checkroom and toilet. Upstairs at this location are located a storage room, shower and a linen room. Also located on the floor are a loggia, three bedrooms and a servant's quarters. The voluminous Groenouwe family mansion on the Loenen heathland occupies a special place in the oeuvre of Broese van Groenou and Dutch mansion building. The family home was built for the large Broese van Groenou family. The main building was designed by Broese van Groenou, with De Clercq advising him. The complex included tennis and golf courts, a natural pool, a gardener's house and a garage. In 1926, the family mausoleum, with the function of a columbarium, was added. Construction of the mansion lasted from September 1919 to August 1921. Greenouwe is constructed of hand-formed brick and stands on a plinth. Wide terraces provide a gradual transition to the garden. The building is characterized by a butterfly plan with the living hall on the centerline - following the English example. The main entrance is flanked by two tower-like bay windows with small windows with stained glass. A loggia is located on the second floor. The whole is crowned by a viewing platform, which at first glance has something of a giant chimney. The entryway is inspired by English Tudor country house construction, such as Hatfield House in Hertfordshire. However, Groenouwe does not have a flat roof, but the heavy thatched roof of a Saxon farmhouse. Included in the roof are large dormers. The living hall behind the vestibule extends into an extension with two tower-like projecting bay windows on the garden side. These converge on the floor into a balcony and create a romantic effect. The wings of the building are accessed lengthwise by a corridor, which also provides additional light. At the end of both wings are extensions, which house a billiard room and a kitchen. Furthermore, the wings house bedrooms, a reading and music room, dining and serving rooms, toilets as well as checkrooms. The interior was mostly white stucco over old-fashioned pink paneling. The floors of the corridors had red tiles. The gardens with romantic arched bridges and the natural swimming pool were partly designed by Broese van Groenou. In this he was advised by the Nederlandse Heijdemaatschappij and garden architect B.C. van den Steenhoven. The gardener's house with a simple rectangular plan and a high thatched roof served as the architect's residence during the construction of the country house. The country house was originally to be built "in the spirit of the specifications of the country house at Meijendel" (1914), but this plan was deviated from for unclear reasons. Notable are the small conservatory and veranda of the gardener's house. The garage cum driver's house is built of hand-formed brick and has board and batten motifs in the brickwork. Tucked away on the property is the family mausoleum. This is a tower-like building crowned by a dome. It is raised on an octagonal plan. Wide buttresses and narrow slit windows give it a weathered appearance reminiscent of Romanesque church construction. Paintings were made in the dome by Chris Lebeau, which unfortunately have been largely lost due to moisture. Balance Broese van Groenou and De Clercq were not great innovators. One should not mirror their buildings with those of the modernists. This would not do justice to the specific nature of the work of these architects. They saw their role not as pathfinders, but as creators within already existing frameworks. Their creations were adapted to the tastes of their clients and attuned to their surroundings. In this respect, they were modest. Their buildings are of cultural-historical rather than architectural-historical interest. Remarkable is the social function they fulfilled, and the way they are historically linked to a particular location. The 'colonial' villas in The Hague, Scheveningen and Wassenaar, the manufacturers' estates in Twente, the labor villages, philanthropic institutions such as the Johannahuis and WAVO Park, office buildings such as Cultura, De Klattesche and De Centrale are all typical of the period in which they were built. Broese van Groenou and De Clercq shaped a series of striking buildings, belonging to a cultural period that ended with the Second World War. From this perspective, it is understandable that after the "noiseless breakthrough" of modernism, they disappeared from the public eye just as silently.