(Bonas essay) J. Roodenburgh (1885-1972) Amsterdam architect Jordanus (Daan) Roodenburgh was born on July 23, 1885. Nothing is known about his education. What we do know is that he worked at various architectural firms, including nearly ten years at the offices of K.P.C. de Bazel and H.A.J. & J. Baanders. In 1916, Roodenburgh established himself as an independent architect at Pieter Lastmankade 4 in Amsterdam. Besides his work as an architect, Jordanus Roodenburgh is very active in many committees and councils of various institutions and associations. He is a member of the Architectura et Amicitia association (1910-1935, 1946-1970) and sits on the advisory committee of the Maatschappij tot bevordering der Bouwkunst of the Bond van Nederlandse Architecten (B.N.A., 1939-1940). He also sits on the General Fee Committee for urban design work, also of the B.N.A. (1945-1948), and is an advisor for the beauty committee of the municipality of Zandvoort (1934-1935), for the building committee of the foundation Het Nederlands Studenten Sanatorium (1946-1948) and for the church construction of the Reformed congregation in Veenendaal (1955-1957). Finally, in the years 1936-1938 and 1946-1948 he was a teacher at the Voortgezet en Hooger Bouwkunst Onderricht (V.H.B.O.). In the period 1940-1950 he was supervisor of the reconstruction of North and South Beveland. In addition to these professional positions and memberships, Roodenburgh sits on the board of the Algemeene Nederlandsche Organisatie ten dienste van jeugdige werklozen (1936-1937) foundation and lectures for the Committee on Questions of Life in Amsterdam (1952-1956). He volunteers with the Municipal Voluntary Air Protection Service in Amsterdam (1939-1940, 1945), collaborates with the Inspection for the Protection of Treasures of Art and Science from the Hazards of War (namely the security of the Portuguese-Israeli Synagogue at the J.D. Meyerplein in Amsterdam, 1939-1940, 1945-1946) and with actions concerning food aid (among others, from the Akademisk Arkitekforening in Copenhagen to the members of the B.N.A. and the action Amsterdam Helps Arnhem, 1945-1948), and he is an advisor for the foundation De Eerebegraafplaats in Bloemendaal (1946-1947). Roodenburgh was also a member and board member of the Amsterdam soccer club Ajax for many years. Relatively little has been written about Roodenburgh's work as an architect. In architectural journals one occasionally comes across an article in which he is mentioned, sometimes with one or more pictures printed. However, the few articles about Roodenburgh's work are almost all highly praising. In addition, his work is regularly printed in the standard works of the 1920s and 1930s, including the books by Wattjes, Sevenhuysen, Fokker and the series De Moderne Bouwkunst in Nederland. Roodenburgh himself published very little. He wrote a few articles in architectural journals about a particular building or design. Jordanus Roodenburgh's oeuvre is very diverse. It includes homes, churches, schools, furniture designs, fire stations, (interior) renovations, timepieces, theaters, factory buildings, stores, grave monuments, etc. Most of his oeuvre was designed for private individuals. During the first years of his work as an independent architect, Roodenburgh adopted a very modest approach to his designs. Between 1916 and 1919, for example, he built and renovated a large number of villas and country houses in the Gooi region, mainly in Bussum. Typical of these houses is their "rustic appearance. They make extensive use of thatched roofs, small windows and rounded doors. This predilection for rustic construction is absent in his later work. In contrast, other designs from this period, such as the 1919 remodeling of the facade of the Boldootwinkel at 96 Kalverstraat in Amsterdam, betray a strong influence of the architect K.P.C. de Bazel. After having designed two housing complexes in Baarn and Haarlem of 8 and 52 dwellings, respectively, in 1920, Roodenburgh began building large housing blocks in Amsterdam. These blocks can be found in the Indische Buurt (from 1923), in Amsterdam-West (from 1924) and in Amsterdam-Zuid (from 1925). Roodenburgh's work during this period is strongly related to that of the Amsterdam School. Characteristic features, apart from the recurring gabled roofs throughout his oeuvre, are the powerful vertical elements, the use of brick motifs and the playful handling of the (rod-like) division of the windows. All these elements are intended to enliven the long street walls. Another aspect that occurs regularly in this period are the parabolic or pentagonal portals, reminiscent of the constructions of the Maya. The quality of Roodenburgh's work from the 1920s is of a very high standard. There is imaginative architecture, in which problems are solved in a very inventive way. In this context, one project should be highlighted, namely the houses at Surinameplein (from 1925), for which the architect Dick Greiner (1891-1964) designed the floor plans. This square, at the time located at the edge of the city, together with its buildings forms an urban planning unit. The buildings - along the octagonal side of the square - act as a kind of funnel, leading traffic into the city, as it were, with the corner towers playing the role of city gates. Around 1929, Roodenburgh's work takes on a completely different character. He begins building a long series of Reformed churches. These churches are mainly found in Amsterdam, Leiden, Zaandam, Renkum, Zeeland, Dordrecht, IJmuiden and Rotterdam. Instead of playing with certain building elements, including the use of different brick motifs, Roodenburgh now shows much more interest in arranging building volumes. The different spaces are combined into a compact and compositional whole. For example, the exterior of the church on Diepenbrockstraat in Amsterdam (1932) can be compared to the 1927-1928 auction building in Aalsmeer by architect J.F. Staal (1879-1940). In this design by Staal, spaces of different size and shape were responsibly combined. In contrast, the interior of the church on Diepenbrockstraat, with its overwhelming and almost theatrical-looking space, is reminiscent of the work of Scandinavian architects Eero Saarinen and Alvar Aalto from the same period. Roodenburgh's largest and most important commission was the construction of the Ajax Stadium at 401 Middenweg in Amsterdam. He began designing this new stadium in 1933, which was to replace the old wooden building for which he had designed some stands in 1917, 1918 and 1928. Roodenburgh had been a member and board member of this club for many years, so he made himself available almost selflessly. In spite of this, Ajax is nearing financial ruin because of this new construction. It is crisis time and the club has only two and a half tons left in its coffers. The stadium ends up costing three tons. Except for the concrete stands, the stadium was built entirely of brick, a material that Roodenburgh had always used extensively. The building has great architectural qualities. The design is sleek and simple. With its massive, brick sections, the exterior evokes associations with the work of the "Hague School," especially that of Jan Wils (1891-1972). The interior, on the other hand, such as the canteen, manages to make the most of the clarity and openness of the 'New Building'. The stadium would provide Roodenburgh with work for years to come. In 1957, grandstand lighting was installed; in 1961 and 1965-1966, the stands were expanded and light towers were erected; and in 1967, a restaurant, a motel, a "Quick-service" and a parking lot were to be added. During the first years of and after World War II, Roodenburgh was very active in rebuilding buildings destroyed by acts of war in Zeeland and in several small towns in the Netherlands, including Renkum. Roodenburgh rebuilds several buildings in Zeeland, mainly in Middelburg, Cadzand, Schore and 's-Gravenpolder. The designs for the newly built buildings, especially those in Middelburg, are bound by strict rules. Consequently, one can hardly speak of any artistic freedom. The houses almost all have a saddle roof and are otherwise low, small and simple. One can best compare these houses to houses of the Delft School. During this period, Roodenburgh also held the position of "supervisor" for the North and South Beveland district. He appointed a number of architects to design the new homes to be built, including J.A. de Bruyne, F.C.J. Dingemans, H.V. Gerretsen, D. Greiner, F. van Lissa, H. Wesselo, G.C. Moolhuizen and F.H. Klokke. Their designs must be approved by Roodenburgh. After 1952, apart from designing a few churches, Roodenburgh has few major commissions. He dies in 1972 as a relatively unknown architect, which he has remained ever since. His most famous work, the Ajax Stadium, was demolished in 1996. Outside activities: Architectura et Amicitia/member/1910-1935,1946-1970; Maatschappij tot bevordering der Bouwkunst, Bond van Nederlandse Architecten/member/1939-1940; Algemene honorariumcommissie voor stedebouwkundig werk (B.N.A.)/member/1945-1948; Schoonheidscommissie van de gemeente Zandvoort/adviseur/1934-1935; Stichting De Eerebegraafplaats Bloemendaal/member/1946-1947; Bouwcommissie van de stichting Het Nederlands Studenten Sanatorium/member/1946-1948; Commissie kerkbouw van de gereformeerde gemeente Veenendaal/member/1955-1957; Voortgezet en Hooger Bouwkunst Onderricht (V.H.B.O.)/teacher/1936-1938,1946-1948;S upervisor of the reconstruction of North and South Beveland/supervisor/1940-1950; Stichting Algemeene Nederlandsche Organisatie ten dienste van jeugdige werklozen/board member/1936-1937; Inspectie voor de Bescherming van schatten van kunst en wetenschap tegen Oorlogsgevaren (namely, the security of the Portuguese-Israeli Synagogue on the J.D. Meyerplein in Amsterdam)/member/1939-1940,1945-1946; Akademisk Arkitekforening Copenhagen/participant food aid/1945-1948; Amsterdam Helps Arnhem/participant/1945-1948; Soccer Club Ajax/member and board member/; rijwillige luchtbeschermingsdienst/member/1939-1940,1945.