Woonhuis, Willemstraat 1

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 HOUSING COMPLEX, consisting of 40 self-contained workers' dwellings and one shop, forming part of the first systematically planned development outside the southern fortifications of Groningen and built around 1870 on commission of 'De Bouwvereniging' in two adjacent building blocks on the south side of Willemstraat with some plots at Sterrebosstraat in a sober yet highly characteristic craft-traditional building manner. The dwellings are still occupied; the former shop on the eastern corner of the western building block (no. 37) is now in use as a dwelling. In 1919 the dwellings were taken over by the Groningen bicycle factory Fongers which had built a new factory opposite Willemstraat at Hereweg. At some dwellings the gutters and tiles have been renewed. The layout of most rear facades has been altered in the form of new shop fronts or renewed extensions; new roof dormers have also been added to most rear roof planes. The rear facades are therefore of secondary importance. Description The dwellings on rectangular floor plans are constructed of red Groningen brick and have a plastered plinth. All have a rear yard. The dwellings of the eastern building block are provided with small projections mirrored to each other. There are types of dwellings of three and four bays wide. All dwellings comprise one storey under a continuous hipped roof, covered with black old Dutch tiles. The facades are finished with a basket-arch shaped, stuccoed moulding with rosette-like decorations between the window openings and a profiled wooden rainwater gutter. Pairs of dwellings situated mirror-image to each other are separated in the facade by slightly projecting wall divisions and downpipes. The separation is emphasised by chimney stacks placed on the roof ridge. The former shop front is white-plastered and framed by pilasters and an architrave. The rectangular shop windows still have the original fanlights with glazing bars. The remaining shop facades are of brick and laid out according to the bay module of the complex: on the Sterrebosstraat side two blind recesses with rollers. Each dwelling has in the front facade a relatively narrow door frame with transom, wooden panelled door and fanlight and 6-pane (sash) windows with rounded corners and rollers. Dwellings nos. 1 and 3 have an original double masonry cabin with nice, worked wooden roof edge and two 6-pane windows. No. 5 has a masonry cabin from 1901 with wall divisions at the corners and a pierced wooden roof edge. Appraisal Housing complex, consisting of 40 workers' dwellings and one shop, forming part of the first systematically planned development outside the southern fortifications of Groningen on the south side of Willemstraat with some plots at Sterrebosstraat, as a whole of general importance because of its cultural-historical and architectural-historical value, because of the age and integrity of the dwellings in connection with the characteristic street profile with old trees and because of its significance for the social-economic history of Groningen and for the development of working-class housing in the nineteenth century in particular.