J. Crouwell (or Crouwel, 1885-1962) Introduction Joseph Crouwell Jr. was born in Amsterdam on March 15, 1885, the son of cabinetmaker[1] Joseph Crouwell Sr. and Catharina Elisabeth Pohlmeijer. The original family name was Crouwel, but it was changed to Crouwell when the architect's grandfather was born in 1817 on a ship sailing from England to the Netherlands. The British captain of the ship acted as registrar and inadvertently unified the name. Crouwell himself used both spellings when signing his work and signing letters, etc., although he used the English variant especially in his early period. In architectural magazines such as Architectura and the Bouwkundig Weekblad, as well as in the surviving correspondence between him and architects, editors, furniture factories, art academies, friends, clients, etc., mainly the Dutch spelling appears, with or without the addition Jr. At BONAS and the NAi, however, the English spelling was chosen because Crouwell is registered with the civil registry under this name. Moreover, the double 'l' prevents possible confusion with other Crouwels - in particular graphic designer Wim Crouwel and architect Mels Crouwel. After his studies and establishment as an independent architect in 1911, Crouwell was employed by the Government Building Department (RGD) from 1917, where he worked successively as architect, deputy government architect and government architect until his retirement in 1950. While employed by the RGD, Crouwell was the responsible architect for a large number of executed public buildings, including nineteen post offices, several schools and several office buildings, whose designs are in the archives. In addition, the archive contains many undated designs for villas, store houses, row houses, country houses and double houses, most of which are not known whether or not they were executed. Besides buildings, Crouwell also designed interiors and furniture, sometimes for the (public) buildings he designed himself, but also for the Oosterbeek furniture factory Labor Omnia Vincit. As far as is known, however, he hardly ever engaged in graphic design: the archive contains only one design for a calendar. However, the large number of surviving study drawings is remarkable. Two certificates of appointment reveal that, in addition to his work as an architect and furniture designer, Crouwell also taught at the Academy of Visual Arts in The Hague from October 1929 to October 1931. In addition, Crouwell served on various committees (including a committee member for an exhibition of the work of delegated members of Architectura in 1925; committee to evaluate the prize work of students in the applied arts department of the Academy of Arts and Technical Sciences in Rotterdam in 1923; committee on the development and construction of The Hague in 1932) and juries (jury competition Architectura et Amicitia 1923). Furthermore, in the summer of 1921 he made a trip to Sweden and Finland, where he saw work by the architects Ragnar Östberg, Eliel Saarinen and Armas Lindgren, among others. In addition, he visited at least Belgium, Germany and Italy. Crouwell was married twice. His first wife was the Jewish Grietje Snijders who perished in a concentration camp during World War II. They probably had two sons. Crouwell remarried to M. van den Bosch, who had Crouwell's archive transferred to the NAI in 1990, nearly thirty years after his death.[2] Addresses During his lifetime, Crouwell lived in various places. Correspondence lists the following addresses: Spiegelgracht 9, Amsterdam Spreeuwenlaan 103, The Hague (1921-1922)[3]. Scheveningschelaan 152 (Huize de Ark), 154 and 156, Kijkduin, The Hague (1923-1935/1937)[4] Laan van Meerdervoort 521, The Hague (1937-1962)[5] Correspondence shows that in the 1920s Crouwell rented out his house on Scheveningschelaan (or a few rooms) for a month in the summer. For example, in the summer of 1923 he rented out two upstairs rooms to jonkheer Marinus van der Goes van Naters, a scion of a Nijmegen noble family, who was at that time graduating in law from the University of Leiden.[6] An angry letter from Crouwell also reveals that earlier that year he had quarreled with construction company Joh. D. v.d. Houwen - the construction company that delivered the first homes in Kijkduin in 1923. In the letter, Crouwell finally requests that some repairs be done at his home that have been long overdue: More than six months ago, the paneling of the kitchen and bathroom were already supposed to be renewed, as they are completely porous. We are forced, when the wind blows on them, to plug the cracks with paper, otherwise the rooms cannot be heated and water comes in when it rains. The locks on the barn doors have not been closing for so long, the best thing would be to fit padlocks, since the doors are much too weak for ordinary locks. The handle is also broken, so that one of the doors keeps falling out. A few bricks are loose from the terrace wall near the kitchen. The kitchen door also opens and closes very badly.[7] Education and apprenticeship Crouwell received his initial education between 1899 and 1902 at the Art Industry Drawing School Quellinus, Building Department. At that time, the school was located in the specially designed building by P.J.H. Cuypers on Frans Halsstraat in Amsterdam. Teachers included T.G. Schill, J.T.J. Cuypers, W. Kromhout, W.C. Hoeker and T. van der Laars. Crouwell then took the course in Higher Architecture Education at the Academie voor Voortgezet en Hooger Bouwkunstonderricht, which was also located in Amsterdam. Here he was taught by architect K.P.C. de Bazel, among others. Circle of work and friends and views on architecture Crouwell gained practical experience between 1903 and 1911 at the architectural offices of K.P.C. de Bazel, A.J. Jacot and J.W. Hanrath. In Crouwell's early designs until about 1915 of both architecture and interiors and furniture, the influence of De Bazel in particular would be readily apparent. Still during this apprenticeship, he designed several buildings in collaboration with J.W. Hanrath - i.e. they are signed by both - including a mansion for W.C. Bosman in Alkmaar and a country house for E. Lopez Suasso in Hilversum. In 1911, Crouwell established himself as an independent architect in Amsterdam. In this position, he restored his own residence on Spiegelgracht and designed, among other things, two triple country houses in Bussum and a triple villa on Koningslaan in Amsterdam,[8] for which he collaborated with sculptor Mendes da Costa. In addition, Crouwell collaborated with architect Groenendijk to design a villa on Prins Hendriklaan in Amsterdam. Between 1914 and 1916, he worked at the architectural office of H.P. Berlage,[9] From 1917, Crouwell worked at the Dienst Landsgebouwen Eerste District, which merged with the other districts into the Rijksgebouwendienst in 1923. Together with Juul Luthmann and Cornelis Jonke Blaauw, like Crouwell Amsterdam-oriented architects, he had been appointed as architect by the then state architect Henry Teeuwisse. They often collaborated with sculptors such as Hendrik van den Eijnde and Joop van Lunteren. In 1924, Crouwell, in collaboration with Luthmann and A.D.N. van Gendt, designed a building for De Bijenkorf in The Hague in response to a competition, which, however, was not executed. Until the late 1920s, Crouwell's designs for government buildings were dominated by the expressive Amsterdam School style. In addition to architects, Crouwell often collaborated for the decorative finishes of his buildings with sculptor Van den Eijnde and glass artist Roland Holst, who designed the stained glass windows for his buildings. Gispen supplied the lamps for the Bureau of Statistics in The Hague, for which Crouwell designed the meeting room tables and chairs. For the post offices in Doetinchem and Beekbergen, Crouwell collaborated with Willem Coenraad Brouwer (1877-1933), who designed the earthenware coats of arms for one and the stone plaque for the other. P.A.H. Hofman designed the stained glass windows in the stairwell of the HBS in Harlingen (1926). The regular photographer for his designs was Cor Deul, with whom he and his wife Griet were good friends. He and his wife were also good friends with Richard Roland Holst and his wife, the well-known socialist poet Henriëtte Roland Holst, and with Guillaume Frédéric la Croix, who, like Crouwell, was involved in the Amsterdam School movement. Crouwell's circle of friends extended beyond the borders of the Netherlands, however, as the archive contains letters from Naomi Lindholm of Finland and Anna and Adolf Lepper of Sweden. Presumably Crouwell gained these contacts during his trips to Scandinavia, commissioned by A et A. Through these trips he also became familiar with the work of architect Eliël Saarinen, whom he greatly admired and by whom he himself was influenced. Unfortunately, Crouwell never set down explicit views on architecture on paper. His rather socialist ideas on architecture are more evident in the architecture - the many public buildings as a form of community art - and furniture - either part of a gesamtkunstwerk or designed for the socialist-idealist furniture factory Labor Omnia Vincit - that he designed, in his collaboration with socialist-minded people such as Berlage and Roland Holst, and in certain letters, in which, for example, he expresses his frustration at the moment when stained-glass windows, sculpture and other (essential) parts are being cut back due to lack of money. Also surviving is a letter by Crouwell from 1922 in which he offers solutions to the problem of Starving Russia,[10] something that the socialist Henriette Roland Holst also advocated,[11] What is clear is that both his socialist ideas and their tangible realization through people like Berlage, Roland Holst and Saarinen were grafted onto the principles of the English Arts and Crafts Movement. This applies not only to Crouwell's work, but also to the other architects of the Amsterdam School. Memberships, associations and travels From 1904, Crouwell was a member (first an aspirant member and later a full member[12]) of the architectural society Architectura et Amicitia, abbreviated A et A, which published the weekly magazine Architectura (after 1927 together with the Bouwkundig Weekblad with the new name Bouwkundig Weekblad Architctura) and the monthly magazine Wendingen. The society regularly held competitions in which Crouwell participated. It also organized occasional excursions both at home and abroad. Crouwell himself joined the three-day excursion to Bruges and Ghent in August 1908. For A et A or for the Government Building Department, he made a trip to Sweden and Finland in the summer of 1921. Before leaving, he was in contact with Mr. Boterenbrood who wrote to him: The president of the Teknologsföreningen afd: för Husbyggnadenskonst is, Ivar Tengbom office above one of the largest new bank buildings at Kunsträdsgärdog 10. The office of the society itself is in Jacobsgatan; editor of their magazine was G. Asplund, who has his office in Svartensgatan. Lundberg lives in Regeringsgatan quite in the back. In Finland there is an architekten klub. President of it is A. Tavatstjarna, the editor of their tydschrift is Berg Vastre Kajen (...). There is a museum in Helsingfors with a very good plan by Lindgren Gesellius and Saarinen. You should especially not forget to visit in H. the academiska bokhandlen in Alexandergatan. Among other things, you will also find there an excellent work by Saarinen on the expansion of Helsingfors with nice urban planning treatises (Swedish and Finnish). A smaller work was published a few years ago also by S. on greater Helsingfors (...). A very great pleasure would be to inquire in Stockholm about the address of the Norwegian Architects vereenen: and their tydschrift Architektur og Decorativ konst. The Union of Dutch Architects sent the Bouwk: weekbl: to Finland Tavaststjärna as an exchange number for more than a year but never received anything in return. Maybe you are in a position to edit that this still happens otherwise the union will stop sending more issues at the end of this year. They can correspond with me in Swedish."[13] After returning, Crouwell reported that the magazine production of the Norwegian Architects' Association had stopped during the war but is now slowly getting back on track. He went on to tell of his visit to the architect Östberg and the Stockholm City Hall he designed, which he found too full of antique details, of his visit to Professor Lindgren and his visit to Eliël Saarinen, who he felt had made a beautiful design for a museum. In early April 1922, Crouwell visited the Bavarian towns of Würzburg, Kirchheim, Kleinrinderfeld, Nürnberg, Marktredwitz, Wunsiedel, Weissenstadt and Suissen. He declared travel expenses. Characterization of oeuvre. Crouwell's early work until about 1915 is akin to the rational designs of De Bazel, Berlage, etc. From 1915 until the late 1920s, Crouwell designs in the expressive style of the Amsterdam School, although his buildings are generally more moderate and functional than designs by Michel de Klerk, for example. Moreover, during this period he had become interested in the work of the Finnish architect Eliël Saarinen, who worked in both the National Romantic Style and in a style akin to Art Nouveau. The architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright was also an important source of inspiration. His oeuvre from the 1930s onward is more difficult to characterize. Presumably, Crouwell stuck in his heart to his socialist disposition of art (and architecture) for the community, but was restricted in his possibilities for artistic freedom by the crisis. Hence, his designs became increasingly businesslike, sleek and functional with few decorations and akin to the style of New Objectivity, which was prevalent during this period. Nevertheless, Crouwell's designs are more playful by using brick (and other craft materials) and recessed facades. Crouwell's furniture and interiors undergo roughly the same development as his architecture. Some designs known from correspondence In a letter dated March 30, 1921[14] to Crouwell, Mr. J.W. van Baarsel of Joure, Friesland, mentioned the construction of his house there and asked Crouwell to keep a drawing that Crouwell had sent him. It could be that Van Baarsel commissioned Crouwell to design his house. However, no drawings of it are known. Furthermore, there is a letter dated March 31, 1921,[15] written by Crouwell to Mr. J.E. Moltzer, in which he reminds Moltzer of the fees due for the following sketch designs: a masonic lodge in Nijmegen, a country house in Almelo, a mansion in Hengelo, a worker's house, a gamekeeper's house, a mayor's house in Dieren and a country house for a lady living alone. Apparently Crouwell designed a number of buildings for Moltzer, the most notable design being the Masonic lodge. Where the drawings are and whether (some of) the buildings were executed is not known. Contests in general Between 1900 and 1940, Crouwell participated in several competitions for both architecture and applied arts, especially in his early years. Successively these were: competition 1903, the competition for a town hall at Zeist (1906), competition for the cover of a calendar of the society Architectura et Amicitia (1907), competition for a Monumental Fence for the entrance to a park of the Vereniging Bouwkunst en Vriendschap (1908), Godon competition of Arti et Industriae (1908), competition for a Bij-Bibliotheek of Bouwkunst en Vriendschap (1908), competition for a single-family dwelling of the Society for the Advancement of Architecture (1908), competition for a block of 47 dwellings in Amsterdam by Rochdale Housing Association (1910), Honorary competition of the Society of Architectura et Amicitia for a head-end station with elevated track (1910), competition for a men's room for 't Woonhuis in Amsterdam (1911), Leliman competition (1911), competition for a seaside hotel (1915), competition for a Rijksacademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam (1917), competition for department store De Bijenkorf in The Hague (1924), competition for a Van Heutzmonument (1932) and a competition for the Raadhuis in Amsterdam (1937). In various competitions involving architecture, Crouwell managed to distinguish himself. For example, his design for a monumental fence in 1908 won him a shared first place for which he received a bronze medal and F35. For the design of a head-end station in 1910 he was awarded second place - first place had not been awarded - and received F140,-. Also for the 1911 Leliman competition, first prize was not awarded and Crouwell was second with a sum of F200,-. Furniture and interior design competitions Competition 1903 The archives contain two study drawings of an interior, under which is written in pencil competition 1903.[16] The first drawing shows a wall with fireplace with mirror, flanked by a display cabinet - glass doors above, open compartments and curtain below - and a buffet. The second (colored-in) drawing shows a wall with three tall windows with curtains, a hanging lamp, a table and two chairs. Characteristic of the decorative finish are the fluted stiles of paneling, mantelpiece (around mirror) and fenestration; the small square panes within tightly profiled frames in the fenestration, which recur in the panes of the display cabinet; the cornices and friezes with tartan decoration above the windows, cabinets and fireplace; the subtle decoration of concatenated globes on curtains, hanging lamp, chairs (nails), fireplace railing and ceiling molding; and the stiles (also with globes) of chairs, cabinets, table and center pillars of the windows. The style of the design is akin to De Bazel's furniture and interior designs. Unfortunately, it is not clear from the drawings which competition it concerns, whether Crouwell indeed submitted the work and under which motto. Presumably, it concerns a competition that was included in Architectura, and the only competition from 1903 in Architectura regarding an interior was by J.A. Huizinga of furniture factory Nederland, Westersingel in Groningen. However, the description was rather general - A design (intérieur) is requested of a modern living room interior, with or without curtains. The surface of the room is +/- 25 M2. The shape of the room and the placement of the furniture are left entirely to the designer[17] - and moreover, a detailed jury report was missing, due to the death of one of the jury members. Godon competition 1908 In the third issue of Architectura 1908, the Nederlandsche Vereeniging tot Bevordering der Kunstnijverheid Arti et Industriae held a competition for a design for paneling for a study. This paneling was to be executed in oak and consist of paneling, door and window frames, built-in wall-high (3.80 meters) cabinets with glass doors, a fireplace with benches and a ceiling. Attached was a floor plan showing the dimensions of the room (5x7 meters) and the location of the (book) cabinets, sitting book with benches and fireplace, sink, windows, bay window and hallway door. Requested were drawings of the four walls and ceiling on a scale of 1:20, a detail and cross-section on a scale of 1:10 and a detail on full size. The jury, consisting of K. Sluyterman, J. Cuypers and K.P.C. de Bazel, rewarded Crouwell with first place, for which he received F100,- and the Diploma of Arti et Industriae der 1e klasse. The verdict of the jury was as follows: The horizontal division of the three remaining walls is also desirable in the bookcases, which will probably be necessary for practical reasons. The division and position of the decorations is good, the profiling and ornamental capitals show lively and effective motifs, the shape and size of the rosettes on the panels and the frieze decoration of the chimney are less successful. Contest 't Woonhuys 1911 On February 25, 1911, Architectura featured a competition held by the NV 't Woonhuys (Vijzelstraat 56-60, Amsterdam) under the direction of the Genootschap Architectura et Amicitia. The request was for a design for a gentleman's room that would actually be executed and intended to be displayed in an exhibition building in Amsterdam, and then be given a permanent destination. The design had to meet the following requirements: The floor plan of the room is described in a rectangle measuring 5 x 7 meters; the space of the stand. The height is left free, but cannot exceed 4.5 meters. One of the long sides of the rectangle will be the open wall; the second long side will be closed. In the former the windows are supposed to be placed. It can be left completely open or given a closure in exhibition character. This room is intended to serve as the private office and study of the head and major, and so will have to be furnished in accordance with that purpose. The room will have a wooden wall covering and a boiler room and will contain the following furniture: 1. a large work table with cabinets (bureau ministre) freestanding or built-in, 2. accompanying desk chairs, 1 or 2, 3. a bookcase, or several, freestanding or built-in 4. two small cabinets for storage of paper, cigars, etc.; also freestanding or built-in, 5. two easy chairs; so-called easychairs 6. two ordinary chairs 7. two small tables. The floor covering and wall covering (above the paneling) will be determined at the time of execution in consultation between the competition announcer and the executing first awardee. The costs for this paneling and covering advanced, are not included, in the construction costs to be mentioned below. The ceiling may be given a layout and otherwise retain its exhibition character. Designers are free to decide whether or not to apply a different ceiling covering. The use of a light permeable ceiling is desirable. As main material oak or mahogany (waxed) is considered, while other materials for decoration are not excluded.[18] The total building costs should not exceed F2500,-; a cost estimate should be attached to the design drawings. The designs for the walls, ceiling and floor plan were to be supplied at a scale of 1:20, the designs for the furniture at a scale of 1:10, and some details at full size. Only one of Crouwell's drawings survives in his archive at the NAI, namely one of the furniture drawings. They concern the prescribed ordinary chair, the bureau ministre, an office chair, an easy chair and a small table. The design was executed in black ink and pencil on calque. Characteristic elements in all furniture are the slender tapering spherical legs with fluted decoration (fluting), slightly curved high backrests, convex back and seat surfaces and rounded armrests. The emphasis on verticality created by the slender legs and high backrests is broken by the sleek, simple lines of the desk and table top, seat surface and bottom rail of the small table. To enliven the rather austere design serve the curves of armrests, wide seat and back surfaces, the cushion panels of the desk with subtle decoration and the semi-circular office chair. Through the recurring characteristic elements, the furniture forms the unity promised in the motto: Unity. Because the drawing is not in color, it is impossible to ascertain what colors Crouwell had in mind for the fabric (or leather) of the chairs. However, the surviving cost estimate does show that the furniture and paneling were made of mahogany. Crouwell estimated the manufacturing costs for the 2 tables at F170,-, the 2 easy chairs at F120,-, the 2 ordinary chairs at F90,- , the office chair at F60,- and the desk at F320,-. In addition to the prescribed cabinets, he also designed a mirror for the marble fireplace. The jury, consisting of K.P.C. de Bazel, C.W. Nijhoff, K. van Leeuwen and F.J. Zeegers, rewarded Crouwell with the first prize and a sum of F150,-. Although the jury saw many very good elements in Crouwell's work - for example, the harmony between the furniture and paneling - they also had criticism: The distribution of the room and the division of the floor and walls are not successful; the cabinets next to the chimney crumble these walls into small unusable pieces; while the furniture is placed somewhat loosely in the space, so that no practical connection has been sought between their place and the purpose of the room.[19] Crouwell's design was eventually executed in modified form. Initially his room was displayed in the building of 't Woonhuys on Vijzelgracht, but later it moved with him to Prinsengracht where it served as the boardroom. The furniture and paneling have survived to the present day and are currently in the depot of the Instituut Collectie Nederland in Rijswijk.[20] The interior consists of more than three hundred components of solid mahogany, including the paneling, a book wall, a fireplace, a sideboard, two sofas, ceiling beams, window sections, a radiator cabinet, a pillar, mouldings, two blind doors, a stove and three stained glass windows. What is striking and strange is the fact that the ICN website makes no mention of the prescribed furniture for the competition. However, there are photos on the website of some furniture that Jospeh Crouwel Sr is said to have executed from designs by K.P.C. de Bazel. In my opinion, however, these pretty much match the office chair, desk, regular chair, easy chair and small table from Crouwel's entry.[21] Labor Omnia Vincit Between 1916 and 1935, Crouwell was a so-called free employee (a kind of freelancer) of the Oosterbeek furniture factory Labor Omnia Vincit, which was headed by Gerrit Pelt J.Jzn. (1864-1956) and focused on the production of artfully designed, solid furniture. Almost all the major furniture styles of the early twentieth century - the rationally designed furniture of Berlage (and 't Binnenhuis), the expressive furniture of the Amsterdam School, the tighter furniture of the Hague School - were represented in toned-down form.[22] Of all Crouwell's design drawings for L.O.V., only one drawing survives in Crouwell's archive at the NAI; this is a design for office furniture in the style of the Amsterdam School. It consists of a high back chair, a table and an easy armchair. The furniture is designed in a light wood (presumably oak) with black impregnated beaded decorations (bottom legs and top back) and hard green seat and back upholstery. The chairs look rather solid and stand on short tapering legs. Notable is the curl at the top of the backrests and the curled green armrests of the armchair. Also in the Instituut Collectie Nederland is a bedroom furniture by Crouwell executed by L.O.V. and from the VANK yearbook 1920 is a photograph of a white painted crib made of pine with plywood panels. The correspondence between Pelt and Crouwell does contain many references to furniture and ameublement that Crouwell designed for L.O.V.. However, no drawings of the aforementioned furniture and ameublement are known. It is therefore particularly unfortunate that the furniture in the letters is almost never described more specifically than buffet, tea cabinet, armchair, chair, easy-chair, etc. In a few cases, color and material are mentioned: for example, according to Crouwell, a home-dining room furniture from 1922 could be executed in waxed oak, alternating with black impregnated or, if possible, of a darker type of wood (gray ebony). The color of the upholstery of the chairs I have thought is hard green (color billard cloth)[23]. Prices are also sometimes mentioned, giving a rough idea of the costs and prices of individual pieces of furniture and furnishings. For example, the above-mentioned piece of furniture could be manufactured for F500, while of another piece of furniture the chair cost F70, the armchair F110 and the table F85.[24] Because of the little remaining material, it is difficult to say in which style(s) Crouwell designed for L.O.V.. Given the time period from 1916-1935, during which Crouwell worked mostly in the Amsterdam School style as far as his buildings are concerned, and given the surviving furniture/drawings, it is likely that most of the furniture was designed in a style related to the Amsterdam School, which tightened and became more austere towards the end of the 1920s. The government buildings as a gesamtkunstwerk Through Crouwell's involvement with the Government Buildings Agency, he designed many public buildings throughout the Netherlands. He is particularly known for his post offices of Utrecht (Neude) and Haarlem. However, he also provided designs for the post offices of Bilthoven, Doetinchem, Arnhem, Blaricum, Oosterwolde, Naarden-Bussum, Groningen, Apeldoorn, Hippolytushoef, Beekbergen, Alkmaar, Sittard, Heerlen and Bovenkarspel-Grootebroek. He was also active in the field of school construction, as he designed both a HBS in Harlingen and the Anatomical Institute with Veterinary College in Utrecht. For the various government buildings, Crouwell often also designed the interior and furniture, whether or not in collaboration with other designers. Indeed, during this period, a building was conceived as a gesamtkunstwerk, in which all elements - architecture, interior, furniture and details - had to be coordinated. In fact, this ideal built on the ideas of the Arts and Crafts Movement from England. The interiors and furniture matched both the function of the buildings and the architectural design. The furniture of the 1920s is rather massive, in keeping with the design of the Amsterdam School, but less expressive and more functional. The design of the 1930s is even more austere. The use of bare brick walls on the inside of the buildings is striking. In the 1920s this was enlivened by sculpture. Post Office of Utrecht[25] The nearly square post office is enlivened by vertical accents such as windows and double stair towers on the front and rear facades. The rather small front porch provides access to the magnificent parabolic public hall. The hall is spanned by arches of yellow glazed brick and lit by intermediate parabolas of cut glass. The floor is laid in black bluestone with bands of white marble. All decorations were designed by Crouwell himself with the exception of the seven figure sculptures by sculptor H.A. van den Eijnde and the stained-glass window by Roland Holst located above the entrance. The sculpture of the columns symbolizes the different continents. Problems during construction arose when the state began to cut back on these decorations and finally banned them for government buildings. Indeed, for Crouwell this was unacceptable because the sculptural elements were an essential part of his design and he had deliberately applied them. In order to obtain enough money for the decorations, a committee was set up that held several fund-raising campaigns among the Utrecht citizens. The schools[26] In 1918, Crouwell designed the Anatomical Institute of the State Veterinary College in Utrecht. This also included the Clinic for Small Pets, which he designed. Both structures are part of a group of new educational buildings on the Biltsche Grift. The plan layout of the Anatomical Institute was made by Chief Government Architect Ir. H. Teeuwisse. Striking is the semicircular extension at the rear. The central glass-covered hall is furnished as a museum. The sculpture of the Anatomical Institute was created by H.A. van den Eynde. The second school Crouwell designed was the Rijks Hogere Burgerschool in Harlingen (1926). The building is separated from the road by water; the bridge needed for this was covered by Crouwell. The interior used tile floors for the hallways and portals and wood in the classrooms. As a general color, beige was used in the main corridors, complemented by brown-red in the hallways, blue in the chemistry and physics classrooms and green in the regular classrooms. With this color scheme, Crouwell wanted to express the use and labor in the various classrooms. He also designed the furniture in the State High School. Until the end of his career in 1950, but even after that, Crouwell remained with the Government Building Department, where he was chief architect from 1947. During this period he designed another garage for autobuses in Rotterdam (1947), a building for the Central Directorate of the P.T.T. in The Hague (1947), a railway station building in Rotterdam (1948, not executed) and a Central Warehouse for the P.T.T. in The Hague (1954). In 1947, Crouwell was inducted as an Officer into the Order of Orange Nassau. In addition, he was awarded the Silver Leg Medal - an award for persons outside the service who have rendered meritorious service to the P.T.T. - by the P.T.T.'s executive committee in appreciation for designing and executing many important PTT buildings in the period 1918-1954.[27] After his retirement on December 30, 1950, Crouwell remained involved with the Government Buildings Agency for some time. He died in The Hague on February 16, 1962. Nicole Sentis, 2009 The list of works was compiled by Veronique Helmink in 1994 and supplemented by Nicole Sentis in 2009.Veronique Helmink also wrote a biographical eassy in 1994, this was supplemented and expanded by Nicole Sentis in 2009.The original essay by Veronique Helmink can be viewed in the BONAS archive. NOTES [1] See the website www.icn-collectie.nl for some furniture (designed by De Bazel) made by his father. [2] Inventory of the Crouwell archive, p.3. [3] NAi/CROU archives a.o. G258, G34 [4] NAi/CROU archives a.o. G148, G32, G12 [5] NAi/CROU archives a.o. G13, G24 [6] http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinus_van_der_Goes_van_Naters [7] NAi/CROU archives G182 [8] Triple (or triple) here means three dwellings under the roof of 1 villa/country house. [9] Gaillard, K., Labor Omnia Vincit. An idealistic furniture factory 1910-1935, Arnhem 1994, p. 95 [10] NAi/CROU archives G124 [11] http://home.hccnet.nl/e.p.binnendijk/H4.htm (thesis doctoral examination UvA 1996: Between dream and reality. The meaning of "Russian Communism" for the "Utopia" of Henriette Roland Holst). [12] Architectura 12 (1904)/33/269 and Architectura 15 (1907)/48/399 [13] NAi/CROU archives G68 [14] NAi/CROU archives G46 [15] NAi/CROU archives G213 [16] NAi/CROU archives t1 and t24 [17] Architectura 11 (1903)/18/143 [18] Architectura 19 (1911)/8/58-59 [19] Architectura 19 (1911)/12/90-91 [20] http://www.icn-collectie.nl/frmDetails.aspx?obs_guid=62fd703f-8ece-41a8-9e18-4c8cda709831 [21] See http://www.icn-collectie.nl/frmResults.aspx?VrijZoeken=&Inventarisnummer=&Titel=&Beschrijving=&Vervaardiger=&Trefwoorden=&Materialen=&Thumbnail=N&Vermissing=N&verv_guid=f27acfd0-5253-42f7-b31d-896150df8ad2 for drafts AA1547, AA1548, AA1549, AA1554 A-F and AA1555 A-B. [22] Gaillard, K., Labor Omnia Vincit. An idealistic furniture factory 1910-1935, Arnhem 1994, p. 9 [23] NAi/CROU archives G231 [24] NAi/CROU archives G239 [25] Based on the original text by Veronique Helmink (1994) [26] Based on the original text by Veronique Helmink (1994) [27] NAi/CROU archives penn10.2 Education: Kunstnijverheidsschool Quellinus Amsterdam/1899-1902;Academie voor voortgezet en hoger bouwkunstonderricht Amsterdam/ Honors: Diplome de Médaille d'Or, Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs & Industriels Moderners Paris/1925;Officer Order of Orange Nassau/1947;silver medal PTT/