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Johannes Martinus (Han) Groenewegen (October 27, 1888 (
Han Groenewegen worked in the Hague as a freelance architect from 1920 to 1927. Before establishing his own firm, he used to work for the contractor R. Rutgers in the Hague. One of his few works in the Netherlands is the Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus in
Groenewegen was heavily influenced by the principle of
The Hague
The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
) – April 4, 1980 (Jakarta
Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
)) was a Dutch architect who was active in the Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
and the Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
, and subsequently, Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Biography
Han Groenewegen worked in the Hague as a freelance architect from 1920 to 1927. Before establishing his own firm, he used to work for the contractor R. Rutgers in the Hague. One of his few works in the Netherlands is the Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus in Schiedam
Schiedam () is a large town and municipality in the west of the Netherlands. It is located in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, west of the city Rotterdam, east of the town Vlaardingen and south of the city Delft. In the south, Schi ...
. During the Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, Groenewegen left the Netherlands to establish his own new firm in the Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
. Many other architects were left for the Indies during the period, e.g. Albert Aalbers
Albert Frederik Aalbers (December 13, 1897 – 1961) is a Dutch people, Dutch architect who created elegant villas, hotels, and office buildings in Bandung, Indonesia, during Dutch East Indies, Dutch colonial rule in the 1930s. Albert Aalbers work ...
. Groenewegen arrived in Medan
Medan ( , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sumatra. The nearby Strait of Malacca, Port of Belawan, and Kualanamu International Airport make Medan a regional hub and multi ...
(on the island of Sumatra
Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
) in 1927 to work on the plan for a hospital, the St. Elisabeth's Hospital (1929-1930). He was active in Medan from 1927 to 1942 to work for the Oostkust. Like Schoemaker for the city of Bandung
Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, the city is the List of Indonesian cities by population, fourth-most populous city and fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabay ...
, Gronewegen can be considered as representative of modernist Nieuwe Bouwen in Medan. Among Groenewegen's extensive portfolio in Medan are the expansion of Medan Cathedral (1928), Arnhem Insurance (now the Museum of TNI Struggles, 1930), the Roman Catholic Chinese church in Polonia (1934), Princess Beatrix School (now Immanuel Christian School, 1938), Medan swimming pool (1939), and Oranjeschool (1941). Unlike many of his colleagues, however, Groenewegen remained in Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
following the independence of the country.
After the war, Groenewegen moved to Jakarta from 1947. Shortly after the war, he worked on the central reconstruction plans. One of the first buildings designed by Groenewegen in Jakarta is the Menteng Cinema in Javaweg (1949-1950, now demolished). Other designs in Jakarta are the houses for the Java Bank (1952), Sumber Waras hospital in Grogol (1957), a crematorium (1958) and the Dutch embassy and chancery (1960 and 1966). From 1957, Groenewegen worked in association with Indonesian architect F. Silaban, e.g. for Bank Indonesia
Bank Indonesia (BI) is the central bank of the Republic of Indonesia. It replaced in 1953 the Bank of Java (, DJB), which had been created in 1828 to serve the financial needs of the Dutch East Indies.
History
Bank of Java
King William ...
in Jakarta. He also worked as an architecture lecturer. Groenewegen died in April 1980 in the hospital Sumber Waras he designed.
Groenewegen also had several works outside Medan and Jakarta, e.g. the Sumber Waras hospital in Padang
Padang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of West Sumatra. It had a population of 833,562 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 909,040 at the 2020 Census;Bad ...
(1956-1957), Savoy cinema in Bukittinggi
Bukittinggi (, Jawi script, Jawi: , formerly ) is the third largest city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of 111,312 in 2010Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 121,028 in 2020.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. An official es ...
(1957), and Museum Seni Modern in Bali (1959).
Design philosophy
Groenewegen was heavily influenced by the principle of Amsterdam School
The Amsterdam School (Dutch: ''Amsterdamse School'') is a style of architecture that arose from 1910 through about 1930 in the Netherlands. The Amsterdam School movement is part of international Expressionist architecture, sometimes linked ...
. While staying and working in Indonesia, Groenewegen began to incorporate Indies architectural element in his works.
See also
*List of colonial buildings in Medan
A variety of infrastructure were constructed in the city of Medan during the Colonialism, colonial period of Dutch East Indies, which is now Indonesia. Following the establishment of the Deli Company in 1869, the city was transformed rapidly fro ...
for his works in Medan.
References
Cited works
* * * * *External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Groenewegen, Han 1888 births 1980 deaths Architects from The Hague Colonial architecture in Indonesia 20th-century Dutch architects 20th-century Indonesian architects 20th-century Indonesian male artists Medan World War II civilian prisoners held by Japan