(Bonas Essay by J. Grutzbauch; abridged version) Johan Melchior van der Mey was born in Delfshaven on August 19, 1878. His mother was Akke van der Mey (1848-1913), who worked in housekeeping for a prominent Rotterdam shipowner's family. Van der Mey was an illegitimate child and it is not clear who his father was. When Akke van der Mey became pregnant, she got in touch with F.H. Edelman, with whom she had the birth certificate drawn up together. The father declared was Paul den Tex, director of the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij (KNSM) and member of the Board of Directors of the Nieuwe Rijnvaart Maatschappij (NRM). In 1906, J.M. van der Mey married Sara Johanna Herweijer (1881-1955), who came from a Groningen family. Although Van der Mey continued to work in Amsterdam throughout his life, he and his wife moved to Geulle in Limburg in 1912. In Geulle, his wife's family owned a house, and Van der Mey converted a dilapidated farmhouse on an adjacent plot into a fine country house. In the mid-1930s, the Van der Mey couple faced financial difficulties and were forced to sell the house in Geulle. Van der Mey could not handle money at all, and his wife was also a very generous woman, who usually took care of anyone who needed help from her own resources. They moved in with their neighbors, the Ramaker family, where they lived in two small attic rooms until their death. They lived very withdrawn and had only a few friends. In recent years, Van der Mey was accused of colluding with the Germans during the war. These accusations proved, after investigation, to be completely false. Van der Mey died, almost 71 years old on June 24, 1949 in Geulle and was buried in the cemetery in Meerssen. Education Van der Mey was educated at one of the Hogere Burgerscholen in Amsterdam, where he took a 3-year course. He then attended - also in Amsterdam - the first arts and crafts school, which he graduated with the highest distinction of 'excellent'. In 1903 - spurred on by Ed.Cuypers - he submitted to the exam to obtain the Diploma of Architectural Supervisor, which was instituted by the Maatschappij tot Bevordering der Bouwkunst. Van der Mey's examination work immediately attracted attention; it was called the best of all submitted works. Van der Mey attended the "Industrieschool van de Maatschappij voor de Werkende Stand" while working at the Cuypers office, along with Kramer and De Klerk. Start of career After his studies, Van der Mey worked practically for several years as an assistant superintendent, supervisor and draughtsman, probably at the architectural firm Gulden & Geldmaker, or with the architect G.B. Salm. From 1897 he worked - for nine years - at the office of Eduard Cuypers, a cousin of P.J.H. Cuypers, the architect of the Rijksmuseum and Central Station in Amsterdam. There, Van der Mey was engaged in the design and execution of various residential houses, bank and station buildings, as well as the preliminary and final designs for the entry in response to the competition for the Peace Palace of the Carnegie Foundation in The Hague, among other things. Not only Van der Mey, but also other architects, who later became known as Amsterdam School architects, worked at Ed. Cuypers: P.L. Kramer (1903-1913), M. de Klerk (until 1910), G.F. LaCroix and others. Van der Mey became friends with Kramer in particular. Cuypers played a very important role in Van der Mey's further development. Architect of the Amsterdam School Eduard Cuypers is sometimes called "the father of the Amsterdam School," because his office is considered the breeding ground for this style. Many famous names were first associated with Cuypers' office. Yet it was not Cuypers, who laid the foundation for this style. Indeed, an important fact is that the Amsterdam School was never a "school," but only a term for a number of architects, who more or less happened to build in a similar style. The Amsterdam School was never founded, nor did it ever publish a manifesto, as was the case for other styles or groups. Despite a "like-minded spirit," there were such differences. Van der Mey's style was much more down-to-earth than that of, for example, P. Kramer and especially M. de Klerk. Strong expressionist forms were not so often expressed in Van der Mey's buildings. Especially in the Scheepvaarthuis and the Kinderkliniek, influences of Jugendstil can also be recognized. An interesting fact is that Van der Mey was always concerned only with the design of the facades, which actually applied to all Amsterdam School architects. Even before his first designs, Van der Mey had objections to this way of building. But especially regarding housing construction, at that time architects were hired only for the facades, the floor plans were designed by technical offices. Aesthetic consultant at the Public Works Department Around 1910, Van der Mey settled in Amsterdam and - looking for an appointment - turned to the director of the Dienst der Publieke Werken A.W. Bos. Van der Mey and Bos knew each other and considered him a gifted architect. The task of the aesthetic consultant at Public Works was limited to advising on the plans submitted to him. In consultation with the deputy director of the department, W.J. de Groot, he had to hold discussions at the Public Works office with the draftsmen and department heads. Bridges At this time Van der Mey was occupied not only with facade designs, but also with designing a number of bridges, which were made between 1912 and 1916, the period in which he also worked on the Scheepvaarthuis. Some of these bridge designs only came to fruition in the early 1920s, as no bridges were widened or newly built in Amsterdam between 1915 and 1921. Mainly due to World War I, which made the supply of building materials impossible. Plans on paper His career as an architect seemed very promising, but after the construction of the Scheepvaarthuis, Van der Mey did not really live up to the promises evoked by a Prix de Rome winner. It does arouse wonder that such a gifted architect could not develop further because he was not given the opportunity to do so. Apart from his appointment as aesthetic consultant for Public Works, Van der Mey was not really active outside design. It is only known that he was a jury member of the Prix de Rome for Architecture in 1918 and 1924. Important to mention here are two more of Van der Mey's collaborators, the later famous architects Mart Stam and J.J.B. Franswa. Slot In the beginning, Van der Mey was concerned only with architecture and urban planning, but did not limit himself to any particular type of objects. He designed everything, for which he was commissioned. It is more of a coincidence, that finally most of his designs were focused first on bridge construction and later on housing construction. Van der Mey is sometimes mentioned simultaneously with M. de Klerk and Piet Kramer as the founder of the Amsterdam School. At the beginning of his built oeuvre it was also clear to see, that he started to build in an updated style. However, given his limited oeuvre that followed the Scheepvaarthuis, it can be assumed that although Van der Mey exerted initial influence on the new style, he later completely lost significance. Education: Hogere Burgerschool, Amsterdam/;kunstnijverheidsschool Amsterdam/;Industrieschool van de Maatschappij voor de Werkende Stand/;industry school of the Maatschappij voor de Werkende Stand/ Additional functions: Prix de Rome/juror/1918;Prix de Rome/juror/1924;VHBO Amsterdam/ lecturer/