Frisia Schaatsenfabriek

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 SKATE FACTORY "Frisia" at IJlst was built around 1880 in a traditional craft building style by order of the company K.E. de Vries. The making of skates was initially a winter occupation of carpenters and blacksmiths. In the nineteenth century various skate factories emerged; there were also several in IJlst, but the business of the company K.E. de Vries & Zonen is the only one that has survived. In the nineteen twenties the building received a new roof and a new front facade in the style of the Amsterdam School. The business was expanded several times: over the years some extensions were added to the rear. The grandson of the founder operated the skate factory until recently. Nowadays the building no longer serves a function. The former factory is situated on the southern side of the east-west running Vaart and faces north. The southern and eastern sides border on the water the "Gorritspôlle". The extensions added over the years do not qualify for national monument protection due to insufficient heritage value.

Description

The building on a rectangular footprint is constructed of brown brick with decorative brickwork executed in black brick in the front facade. It is covered by a mansard roof with red corrugated Frisian tiles and two chimneys. The front facade is symmetrically arranged at ground floor level by, from bottom to top, double wooden doors with six-light window glazing and on either side two coupled windows with three-light glazing; a wooden shop front beam with the inscription Fa K.E. de Vries and Zonen and a series of two, three and two coupled fanlights with two-light glazing. The gable top (with decorative brickwork) bears the inscriptions 'FRISIA' and 'SKATES' 'FACTORY'. In the centre there is a wooden loading door with four-light fanlight and on either side two coupled fanlight windows with two-light glazing. The eastern side facade is provided with lightly arched nine-light windows with iron glazing bars. The western side facade borders the adjoining property.

Against the rear facade stands a non-original wooden extension which obscures the facade from view.

The INTERIOR is original in its layout. At ground floor level, access has been made on the southern side to the right to the adjoining added structural components. On the northern side, to the right of the entrance door, lies the original wooden staircase to the first floor. Here many original interior components are still present, including the wooden floor, the wooden work tables and, on the southern side, a wooden partition where the skates were glued and laid to dry.

Valuation

The skate factory FRISIA at IJlst is of general particular cultural-historical importance:

- as a particular expression of socio-economic development;

- as a particular expression of a typological development: namely as rare testimony to a form of economic activity that has always held a special place in the Netherlands and particularly in Friesland;

- because of the historical-spatial and functional relationship with the water;

- because of the reasonably well-preserved architectural integrity of exterior and interior;

- in relation to the structural and visual integrity of the village setting;

- because of the very considerable typological and functional rarity.