Postkantoor, Grote Bredeplaats 6

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 POST OFFICE at Grote Bredeplaats 6 in Harlingen was built in 1897 in Neo-Gothic style. This architectural style, combined with a number of traditional elements, has given this category of buildings a very recognizable appearance: hence the name "post office Gothic". The design is by architect Cornelis Hendrik Peters, born in 1847 in Groningen. Peters was a pupil of architect P.J.H. Cuypers from Amsterdam, in whose office he worked from 1866 as a supervisor. Around 1870 he began to undertake commissions independently. In his designs Peters followed the theories of Viollet-le-Duc and 18th-century rationalism. Furthermore, the style of architect Cuypers always had great influence on his designs. Peters believed that every building component should have a function; that work should be carried out from an "open floor plan", which arises from the need for space and not from a desire for symmetry; he considered brick a valid building material. For his work he also used elements from North German Brick Gothic. In 1876 he became a building engineer at the Ministry of Finance. The exuberant Gothic decorative elements, which he used until 1897, are somewhat simplified or omitted in the design for this post office. The post office was built in a difficult period, in which the postal service was dissatisfied with the state architect. They found the costs of his buildings too high and they also did not meet the set requirements. To avoid dismissal, Peters found himself compelled to make his designs more austere. The post office in Harlingen was built in this 'austerity' period, as were the other post offices that architect Peters built in Friesland between 1897 and 1913 in Akkrum, Bergum, Bolsward, Dokkum, Drachten, Franeker, Heerenveen, Joure, Leeuwarden, Lemmer, Noordwolde, Sneek, Terschelling, Vlieland, Wolvega and Workum.

The INTERIOR of the post office has been remodelled and is not eligible for protection by the state.

Description

The Harlingen post office is oriented to the north. The raised stoop for the five-bay-wide front facade is bordered by a brick wall with two low and two higher brick pilasters. The 'dais-like' stoop is reached via a flight of three steps. The floor plan of the building is rectangular. The building has, above the two storeys, an attic storey. The gabled roof, on which two chimneys stand, is covered with Lucas IJsbrands tiles. The office building is built in brown brick. The high plinth is of natural stone. The front facade is regularly divided by the five bays. The brick facade is decorated by plastered bands between the windows and a plastered band between the first and second storey. On the first storey there are on the right two wooden entrance doors with six-panel carved work; to the left of these are three windows. In the leftmost window a cash machine has recently been placed. Above the doors is a segmental arch with plastered impost and voussoir stones. In the plastered tympanum above the right entrance door is the date MDCCCXCVII displayed, in the tympanum above the left one a horn with lightning. Above the doors two three-light windows with brick mullions and segmental arch with plastered impost and voussoir stones. These serve as, as it were, fanlights and are situated at the same height as the fanlights of the adjacent windows. These are six-pane and also provided with segmental arch form. On the second storey there are five six-pane windows with double segmental arch and double plastered impost and voussoir stones. Below the cornice there is an arch frieze. On the roof slope two small brick dormer windows are placed with an overhanging slate roof with half-hipped end, wind vane and finials. The western and eastern side facades border on the adjacent buildings. Only the tops are visible: in the middle of the gable top are two narrow vertical six-light windows. From this height and between the windows the tops are marked by a projecting and slightly protruding finial with capping. The gable tops are decorated with plastered bands, which are placed at the same distance from each other as the bands on the front facade. The rear facade is not visible either from the street or from the rear. It has, except for a small window in the lower part built against it, not been altered. This can be concluded from the undated drawing made for the last-mentioned alteration. The drawing shows a rear facade consisting of two virtually symmetrical parts, in which on the first storey six-pane windows with arched openings are placed. In front of the facade a lower building section has been placed, the right part of which is under a hipped roof. In this facade there are, from left to right, a door – which has replaced the small window – a wide carriage entrance and three small windows.

Valuation

The post office in Harlingen, designed in 1897 by State Architect C.H. Peters is of cultural-historical and architectural-historical importance:

- as a distinctive expression of a cultural and socio-economic development;

- for the history of architecture; - for the oeuvre of the architect;

- as a distinctive expression of a typological development; - as a typical example in the development of an architectural style called "post office Gothic", which determined the appearance of this category of buildings for a long period;

- because of the high aesthetic quality of the design;

- because of the particular use of materials and ornamentation;

- because of its significance for the appearance of this place in the city, close to the harbour;

- because of the considerable architectural integrity of the exterior;

- in relation to the visual integrity of the urban environment.