Bernardus van Bilderbeek (1876-1956) Van Bilderbeek was educated and trained as an architect in Amsterdam, where he learned the tricks of the trade particularly at the architectural firm of the Van Gendt brothers. In Dordrecht, Van Bilderbeek was given numerous opportunities to express his love for the profession and for the preservation of historical heritage. In addition to realizing new works, he served on various professional and cultural committees in Dordrecht where, among other things, attention was drawn to the old city. He was also involved in the restorations of various monumental churches, church towers and gatehouses throughout the country. Van Bilderbeek was born in Amsterdam, where he was educated at the Ambachtsschool and the school of drawing. He began his career around 1895 as an architect at the architectural firm Van Gendt where he worked for about 11 to 12 years. Living and working in Amsterdam, he was for many years a member of the Genootschap Architectura et Amicia, which at that time was chaired by H.P. Berlage. Here he met numerous architects from the Amsterdam circuit. Van Bilderbeek settled in Dordrecht in 1906 on the Buiten Walevest. The main reason for his move was the fact that he was in charge of the construction of a branch office for De Nederlandsche Bank on the Wijnstraat in Dordrecht to designs by A.D.N. and J.G. van Gendt. After completion of this monumental building with various historicizing parts, Van Bilderbeek continued to live in Dordrecht. Numerous new commissions in Dordrecht followed, such as designing a notary's office-annex villa (Villa Cronenburgh, 1906) and a detached villa (Villa Berckensteyn,1912) on the Oranjepark. The villas were built in sober classical style or with other historicizing features just like those used by Van Gendt at the time. Main features were the use of rising center parts, gables, triangular pediments and natural stone. In addition to designing architectural projects, Van Bilderbeek was also active as an interior designer, designing numerous pieces of furniture, hardware components and lamps. In 1917, Van Bilderbeek associated with architect H.A. Reus (1872-1935). Reus had been educated at the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and had been working in Dordrecht since 1892. The pair not only worked together for decades on numerous projects in Dordrecht but also performed, especially restoration work, outside the city. In 1925, C.C. Basters joined Reus and Van Bilderbeek as an architectural draftsman. After the war in 1945, by which time Reus had passed away, Basters became Van Bilderbeek's new partner. The firm bore the name Van Bilderbeek & Basters until 1956. Later the firm became Basters and De Vries and today the firm is called Lugten Malschaert Architects. It is still based in Dordrecht. Residential buildings and schools Reus and Bilderbeek designed several social housing projects in Dordrecht. The housing shortage in the inner city and the increasing number of companies settling there caused the demand for new workers' housing to rise sharply. Just before the outbreak of the First World War, construction began on a complex of workers' housing commissioned by the Woningzorg housing association. This is a residential area with 51 free houses, 18 downstairs and 27 upstairs houses on Dubbeldamseweg, Violenstraat and Anjelierstraat. Striking are the gateway houses on Dubbeldamseweg that provide an entrance to both inner streets (Violenstraat and Anjelierstraat) and give the whole a private character. In the Noorderkwartier in 1915-1916, Reus and Van Bilderbeek built a working-class neighborhood with 83 houses commissioned by the construction company Het Noorderkwartier. The intention was to build an economically designed garden village. To this end, a plan was drawn up with single-family houses with large gardens and with various amenities such as schools and stores because of the great distance from the city center. Eventually, the plan was cut back considerably; a small square and most of the single-family houses were scrapped and mainly residential blocks with small upstairs and downstairs houses were built so that more people could live there. On Merwedestraat, a prominent corner building with upstairs apartments with two tower-like extensions and with two stores on the first floor was built. Along the main road (Maasstraat), a school and a bathhouse with Amsterdam School characteristics came into being, initially planned along a central square. Both the Woningzorg complex and the Noorderkwartier were built with the help of government support and were included in the survey work "Workers' housing in the Netherlands" (1921) compiled by H.P. Berlage and W. Kromhout and others. Also on the Reeweg, Reus and Bilderbeek built a large school building; the Nieuwe Ambachtsschool (1918-1919). The school was built of brick with decorative brickwork and has Amsterdam School features and Art Deco influences. The symmetrical facade has a striking entrance porch with basket and segmental arches, inset lanterns and glazed wall tiles. The interior of the school also features glazed tiles. In the 1920s, commissioned by the Wilhelmina Foundation, a traditional court with 30 small homes was built by Reus and Bilderbeek on Kasperspad/Warmoezierspad (1926-1927). The single-story, hooded dwellings were intended for elderly ladies' staff. The houses enclose a large, communal, more or less square courtyard garden. A monumental gatehouse with an upstairs regent's room provides access to the court. In particular, this gatehouse and the regent's room feature decorative elements such as sculpture in natural stone and ornamental brickwork. Church buildings Commissioned by the Christelijke Gereformeerde Gemeente, Reus and Bilderbeek designed a monumental church building (1920-1921) in brick in sober Amsterdam School style on Nicolaes Maessingel/Dubbeldamscheweg. The tall, stubby tower marks the intersection in the 19th century shell of Dordrecht. Beginning in 1925, Reus and Van Bilderbeek also worked as restoration architects. In the 1930s, for example, Van Bilderbeek, together with Jos. Cuypers responsible for the restoration of the roof cap of the medieval Grote Kerk in Dordrecht. And in several other cities, Reus and Van Bilderbeek restored monumental buildings such as the Stevenskerk in Nijmegen and church towers in Woudrichem, Waalwijk and Strijen. Van Bilderbeek took responsibility for numerous subsidiary functions in Dordecht. From 1910 Van Bilderbeek devoted himself to the preservation of historical complexes in Dordrecht such as the old Berckepoort and the Hof. He was also secretary of the Dordrecht Commission for the Promotion of Art in Dordrecht for many years. Among other things, this Cie gave strong criticism in the Bouwkundig Weekblad of the new expansion plan (1915) that B&W had in store for the municipality of Dordrecht. Other offices he later held were the honorary chairmanship of Teekengenootschap Pictura and the chairmanship of the association De Dordrechtse Ambachtsschool. In addition, he was a council member for several years. He was also chairman of the B.N.A.-Kring van Dordrecht for many years and a committee member of the Dordrecht Museum and the Monument Committee. During World War II, Van Bilderbeek also served for several years on the Architectural Committee in Rotterdam. This committee had been appointed by the General Authorization and was chaired by W.H. Monchy. Van Bilderbeek, along with the other members H.J. Brusse, C. Elffers and E.J. de Maar, advised the architects involved in the reconstruction of the city of Rotterdam.