Woonhuis, Vaart Z.Z. 11

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, in Dutch. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

Introduction

The DWELLING HOUSE dating from around 1810, which is built in a sober brick architecture with eclectic motifs, is known as the 'Gratama House' and was built for Mr. Sibrand Gratama on the site where four small properties formerly stood. The current appearance of the large house dates from around 1880 and originally had a symmetrical front façade, which in 1919 and 1924 underwent fairly drastic alterations on the ground floor in the left side gable and to the right of the still original, late nineteenth century entrance section, losing something of its original character. In the nineteenth century, the printing works of the Provinciale Drentsche and Asser Courant was housed in the building section behind the house. The protection applies only to the nineteenth century main form of the house.

Description. This is a large property with storey under a hipped roof covered with tiles with a covered chimney shaft at both roof corners and wooden round-arch dormers with fluted posts and moulded round-arch surround on fluted pilasters. The seven-bay wide, originally symmetrical front façade with rendered plinth, corner pilasters, six-light sash windows with rounded corners under stretchers and an entablature with dentil moulding at the projections. The entrance is located in the three-bay wide central projection. The entrance section consists of a hardstone step, a wooden entrance frame standing on natural stone piers with cast-iron ornaments in the frieze and tritons in high relief above the pilasters. The wooden round-arched porch opening has a cusp ornament between the pendentives, the porch floor is covered with a mosaic, the walls are lined with tiles which are provided with decorations applied by means of the so-called decalcomania method, and the ceiling is decorated with a stucco list. In the left and rear wall the original panel-hinged doors are still present. The left has a decorated stop-end and a fanlight with cast-iron cut window above a worked calf. The other is provided with cast-iron window frames and an identical calf. Above the entrance is an originally opening onto the vanished balcony porte brisée with fanlight (with rounded corners as with the windows) within a moulding with cornice on blocks and corbels. To the right of the entrance is a shop-front that clashes with the rest of the building and which was inserted in 1924 for A.G. Meeks' milk salon. Against the left side façade, also with clashing shop-front, stand corner pilasters and the window on the storey is, like the entablature, the same as that of the front façade. The shop-front is the result of an alteration from 1919 for the shop of 'Bicycles and Motorcycles H. Kip'. The rear corner of this side façade is partially cut away, creating a trumpet effect. The dormer on this side is the same as that on the front roof section. Behind this side façade and on the rear of the house stands a lower cornice-topped façade with above and behind a far-extending roof over two storeys with mezzanine. This extension has multiple windows of various formats in a rear façade with rod anchors. Three of the six windows in this side façade are blind. The building sections behind the extension are later additions.

Valuation

The characteristic building has architectural-historical value as an important and defining architectural element among the valuable, predominantly late nineteenth century and early twentieth century development on the Vaart. It therefore has great ensemble value and also forms part of the protected townscape of Assen.