Herman Hendrik Baanders
Encyclopedia
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, 31 March 1905)), also known as Hermanus Hendrikus Baanders and H.H. Baanders, was a Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
architect who was primarily active in Amsterdam.
Like many other architects around the fin de siècle
Fin de siècle
Fin de siècle is French for "end of the century". The term sometimes encompasses both the closing and onset of an era, as it was felt to be a period of degeneration, but at the same time a period of hope for a new beginning...
, Baanders had an eclectic and historizing style of architecture. For instance, he would use a traditional Dutch facade such as a neck-gable, but combine it with Jugendstil elements that were considered very new and modern at that time. Despite these Jugendstil elements, his work was grounded in the Neo-Renaissance
Neo-Renaissance
Renaissance Revival is an all-encompassing designation that covers many 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Grecian nor Gothic but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of classicizing Italian modes...
of the 19th Century, characterized by a high level of detail.
His most prestigious design was the Astoria building (1904–1905), a Jugendstil office building at Keizersgracht 174-176 in Amsterdam, built as the headquarters of the Eerste Hollandsche Levensverzekerings Bank insurance company. With six floors and a maximum height of 37 metres, the Astoria building was one of the first office towers in the Netherlands. Baanders designed this building together with Gerrit van Arkel
Gerrit van Arkel
Gerrit A. van Arkel was a Dutch architect who designed many of Amsterdam's most prominent Jugendstil buildings....
. In 2001 it gained rijksmonument
Rijksmonument
A rijksmonument is a National Heritage Site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.-History and criteria:...
(national monument) status. Another design by Baanders and Van Arkel, a double house at Korte Marnixkade 4 (1893), has rijksmonument status as well.
Baanders also designed a number of houses with shops along Leliegracht canal as well as the Nederlandsche Cocaïnefabriek (1900, further expanded in 1902) which in 1910 was said to be the world's largest cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
factory.
His sons Herman Ambrosius Jan Baanders
Herman Ambrosius Jan Baanders
Herman Ambrosius Jan Baanders , also known by his initials as H.A.J. Baanders, was a Dutch architect, designer and entrepreneur who was active in the Amsterdamse School style of architecture...
(1876–1954) and Jan Baanders (1884–1966) were prominent architects of the Amsterdamse School style, and his daughter Tine Baanders (1890–1971) was a well-known graphic artist.
Life and career
Baanders, the son of a weaver, was born and raised in the provincial town of Zutphen and trained as a carpenter. In 1871 he left Zutphen to try his luck in the capital of Amsterdam. While working as a carpenter in Amsterdam, he studied architecture (bouwkunde) in the evenings at the Industrieschool van de Maatschappij voor den Werkenden Stand. The first mention of Baanders as an architect was around 1885, although the first known design by him – for a house in the Swammerdamstraat in Amsterdam – dates to 1880, presumably made while he was still training to become an architect.Initially, Baanders worked for other architects, but around 1890 he established himself as an independent architect. His first commissions were mainly houses in the new residential districts of Amsterdam that were under construction and expansion in the late 19th Century, as well as factories and industrial complexes in Amsterdam and elsewhere.
In 1889, he was invited to joined the architects' society Architectura et Amicitia. After that, he received more prestigious commissions, starting with a house at Lauriergracht 122 in 1889. In this later period, he designed villas and mansions in upscale parts of town like the suburb of Watergraafsmeer
Watergraafsmeer
The Watergraafsmeer is a polder in The Netherlands. It was reclaimed in 1629. In the 17th and 18th centuries, there were many buitenplaatsen in the Watergraafsmeer, though nowadays only one, Frankendael, remains....
and the areas around the Vondelpark
Vondelpark
The Vondelpark is a public urban park of 47 hectares in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located in the stadsdeel Amsterdam Oud-Zuid, west from the Leidseplein and the Museumplein. The park was opened in 1865 and originally named the "Nieuwe Park", but later renamed to "Vondelpark", after the 17th...
and Concertgebouw
Concertgebouw
The Concertgebouw is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" literally translates into English as "concert building"...
, as well as large housing blocks. In his final years (1904–1905) he worked with Gerrit van Arkel
Gerrit van Arkel
Gerrit A. van Arkel was a Dutch architect who designed many of Amsterdam's most prominent Jugendstil buildings....
on the Astoria building
Astoria (Amsterdam)
Astoria is a Jugendstil office building at Keizersgracht 174-176 in Amsterdam, built in 1904-1905 as the headquarters of the Eerste Hollandsche Levensverzekerings Bank insurance company. The building, at the intersection of the Keizersgracht and Leliegracht canals, served as the international...
, one of the first office towers in the Netherlands.
Baanders' company was located at Eerste Jan van der Heydenstraat 185 in Amsterdam. In 1892 the offices moved to Tweede Jan van der Heydenstraat 19, a year later to Sarphatipark 125, and finally, in 1904, to Ruysdaelkade 27. Baanders also had a workshop at Reguliersgracht 50.
He remained in Amsterdam until his death, with the exception of a brief period in Baarn
Baarn
Baarn is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht.-The municipality Baarn :The municipality of Baarn consists of the following towns: Baarn, Eembrugge, Lage Vuursche.- The town Baarn :...
around 1885. In 1875 he married Lena van den Berg (1848–1914) in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. They had nine children. From 1903 he worked closely with his eldest son, Herman Ambrosius Jan Baanders
Herman Ambrosius Jan Baanders
Herman Ambrosius Jan Baanders , also known by his initials as H.A.J. Baanders, was a Dutch architect, designer and entrepreneur who was active in the Amsterdamse School style of architecture...
(1876–1954), who took over the company after his death in 1905. Herman Ambrosius Jan Baanders and his brother Jan Baanders were prominent architects of the Amsterdamse School style and together designed the Blauwe Theehuis
Blauwe Theehuis
The Blauwe Theehuis is a 1930s Modernist pavilion in the Vondelpark in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It is a ring-shaped building, somewhat reminiscent of a flying saucer. Originally a tea house, it is now in use as a café and restaurant, surrounded by outside seating...
("Blue Tea House") pavilion in the Vondelpark, among others. Herman Ambrosius Jan Baanders also designed the Amsterdams Lyceum
Amsterdams Lyceum
Het Amsterdams Lyceum is a Dutch secondary school combining a gymasium and Atheneum. It was established in 1917. Het Amsterdams Lyceum has around 1000 students, most of whom are from Amsterdam, but increasing numbers from outer municipalities like Amstelveen, Zaandam, Landsmeer and Monnickendam...
. In 1953 the company was taken over by Jan Baanders' oldest son, also called Jan.
H.H. Baanders' daughter Tine Baanders (1890–1971) was a graphic designer and illustrator who was a frequent contributor to the art magazine Wendingen
Wendingen
Wendingen was an art magazine that appeared from 1918 to 1932. It was a monthly publication aimed at architects and interior designers. The booklet was published by Amsterdam publisher Hooge Brug and it was a mouthpiece for the architect association Architectura et Amicitia. . The chief editor was...
. She exhibited her work in Amsterdam (1913, 1917), Rotterdam (1918), Haarlem (1919) and Paris (1925). At the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes
Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes
The International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts was a World's fair held in Paris, France, from April to October 1925. The term "Art Deco" was derived by shortening the words Arts Décoratifs, in the title of this exposition, but not until the late 1960s by British art critic...
(1925 world's fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
) in Paris, she was awarded a Diplôme de Médaille de Bronze.
Buildings
Buildings in Amsterdam designed by Baanders include:- House at Lauriergracht 122 (1889)
- Double house at Korte Marnixkade 4 (1893), with Gerrit van ArkelGerrit van ArkelGerrit A. van Arkel was a Dutch architect who designed many of Amsterdam's most prominent Jugendstil buildings....
- House at Leliegracht 24 (1895)
- House at Leliegracht 12 (1896)
- House at Schippersgracht 5 (1897)
- House at Leliegracht 22 (1899)
- Nederlandsche Cocaïnefabriek at Eerste Schinkelstraat 30 (1900)
- Double house at Paulus Potterstraat 40-42 (1901)
- Three villas at Van Eeghenstraat 84-88 (1902)
- House at Vijzelgracht 27 (1902)
- House at Leliegracht 31 (1903–1904)
- Astoria buildingAstoria (Amsterdam)Astoria is a Jugendstil office building at Keizersgracht 174-176 in Amsterdam, built in 1904-1905 as the headquarters of the Eerste Hollandsche Levensverzekerings Bank insurance company. The building, at the intersection of the Keizersgracht and Leliegracht canals, served as the international...
at Keizersgracht 174-176 (1904–1905), with Gerrit van ArkelGerrit van ArkelGerrit A. van Arkel was a Dutch architect who designed many of Amsterdam's most prominent Jugendstil buildings....