Gevangenis, Blokhuisplein 40

English translation

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Description

Introduction

SPECIAL PRISON AND HOUSE OF DETENTION now only House of Detention, built by J.F. Metzelaar and W.C. Metzelaar on the site of the Blokhuis in Eclectic style. In 1498 a stronghold was built by the Duke of Saxony to keep the subjugated Friesland under control. In 1580 this stronghold was taken into use by the city as a prison, which served until 1824, when the prison moved to the Kanselarij. In 1870-1877 J.F. Metzelaar built a new Special Prison to replace the existing buildings, for sentences longer than five years up to life imprisonment. The new construction was also prompted by a spectacular escape of eleven prisoners in 1868. It was one of Metzelaar's first works for the Ministry of Justice. He had already completed a fruitful career as a private architect in Rotterdam by then. For the Ministry of Justice he usually built in a sober Eclectic style, with the gatehouse buildings receiving the most attention. Metzelaar proved himself to be a skilled constructor and a visionary designer. This is not always evident from the external architecture, but internally he employed bold iron structures (such as in the rotunda prisons) and ingenious solutions for heating, ventilation and internal circulation. He continued the construction of cellular prisons, which had been introduced by his predecessors I. Warnsinck and A.C. Pierson in 1845 under the influence of American ideas. Pierson provided a standard design, which was adopted by Metzelaar. In 1892-1894 a cell wing was added by his son and successor W.C. Metzelaar. He had already added the House of Detention on the east side in the years 1889-1891. Of the original Blokhuis complex, which contained several interesting components, a facade from 1861? remains on the Keizersgracht and the old ground plan of courtyards with surrounding buildings was maintained.

Description

EXTERIOR: The site of the former Blokhuis was completely surrounded by moats. After the Keizersgracht was filled in 1956 this came to an end. The main gate is reached via a bridge over the Blokhuisgracht. The Gatehouse, belonging to the first building campaign of 1870 is a rectangular building nine bays wide and two storeys plus attic high under a pantile-covered gabled roof between end gables. The gate placed in the middle is flanked by two stair towers on square base, which convert to octagons at the height of the second storey. Above the cornice the towers project slightly. Above the round-arched, moulded gate, for which a cage-shaped grille was placed during recent restoration, there are three T-windows. Above this is a slightly modified stepped gable. The bays on either side of the towers contain T-windows with segmental arches, which have blocks of Bremen sandstone at the springing points. The end gables are provided with serliana's. To the right of the gatehouse, connected by a low articulation, is the alcove building, which forms the corner of the Blokhuisplein and the Zuidergracht and consists of two coupled building volumes on rectangular base of yellow brick, covered by gently sloping gabled roofs between end gables. There are three storeys plus attic. The facades are articulated vertically by twice notched buttresses. The notches are marked by moulded natural stone offsets. Each bay contains two coupled windows with stiles of Bremen sandstone and segmental arches of red brick. Between both building volumes a lift was recently placed. Further along the Zuidergracht extends an elongated building under a gabled roof with an almost completely closed facade. The House of Detention building has its main facade and entrance on the side of the Oosterstadsgracht. In front of the cell wing a rectangular building with gently sloping gabled roof is placed in the central axis, which contains the staff rooms. A high wall connects this building with the wings on the Zuiderstadsgracht and the Gedempte Keizersgracht. To the right of the staff building, projecting less far forward, is the director's residence. In the middle on the Keizersgracht remains a facade from a building campaign before 1870 in Neo-Classical style of nineteen bays and two storeys plus attic. In the middle there is a risalit of five bays, flanked on either side by three slightly recessed bays each. The end risalits each contain four bays. A frieze with moulded cornice runs across the full length. All rectangular windows were sealed in the 1950s. A high wall of this building section along the Keizersgracht turns the corner as far as the gatehouse. Behind this is the cell wing from 1892-1894. This is constructed of yellow brick and has three storeys plus attic under a gently sloping gabled roof. There are many barred segmental arch-shaped windows. The end gable on the side of the Blokhuisplein has in the middle a continuous window band running the full height, which lights the galleries to which the cells are attached.

Facades at the courtyards: largely unaltered, the four facade walls of the large exercise yard have been preserved. Above the gates are date stones: the western one 1874, the eastern one 1875. The buildings all have two storeys plus attic and are executed in yellow brick, interspersed with bands of red brick and segmental arches of red brick above all openings. The floor levels are marked by worked wall anchors. Most windows are segmental arch-shaped with small panes and gratings. The eastern (administration) wing also has segmental arch-shaped closed six-pane windows. In the four corners and on either side of the gate stand stair towers with small, narrow windows, which follow the course of the staircase. The towers are crowned by tent roofs covered with slate, which also each have a roof dormer. In the northwest corner stands a completely stone spiral staircase, the former entrance to the church. Currently this staircase is incorporated in a newly constructed building in front. The other courtyards are simpler in their fittings and show additions from the recent renovation, when the internal circulation routes were altered. A smithy was built in the eastern courtyard in 1948.

INTERIOR: Remarkably much of the original interiors was preserved, or was restored to its former state during recent restoration. Most altered are the Gatehouse, where amongst other things the stone spiral staircases in the towers and the roof truss structure were preserved, and the alcove building, whose original purpose of dormitories was changed into rooms for visits, hobby, sports rooms, work rooms and storage. Here amongst other things were preserved the cast-iron supporting structure and the cast-iron stairs, as well as stone stairs, whose steps are set into the wall on one side and project freely on the other side. The hollow cast-iron columns contain a ventilation system.

Both cell wings remained, subject to alterations in the cells, to a large extent authentic. The three floors are accessed by galleries and cast-iron stairs with grate-shaped landings and open, segmental arch-shaped treads, creating a transparent whole, which facilitated supervision. Only the railings were heightened and the colour changed. The cell doors still date from the construction period with the feeding slot and viewing holes. The cells are ventilated by a channel, which is incorporated in the window sill and has on the inside three grilles that can be closed with iron flaps. The cell wings are lit by windows in the end walls and roof lights. The ceiling consists of transversely placed trough vaults between iron beams.

The former church, now recreation room, retained a wooden roof structure with arched trusses, between which panels with diagonal tongue and groove boarding, iron tie rods and wooden keystones, which rest on stone consoles. The gallery on the short side has now been converted into an intermediate floor.

The space is lit from above by barred roof lights. Some church pews remain.

The office wing, located between the large exercise yard and the eastern courtyard has a roof structure with riveted iron trusses and wooden tie beams.

Valuation

PRISON of general architectural historical, urban planning and cultural-historical importance:

- on account of the high degree of integrity, both external and internal;

- on account of the, apart from the Gatehouse, simple architecture in Eclectic style;

- on account of the preserved interior components, in particular the iron structures and the ventilation system incorporated therein, the stone stairs and the iron galleries and cast-iron stairs of the cell wings;

- on account of its location on the site of the former Blokhuis, whose form was preserved and the layout of the courtyards, which is a repetition of those of the demolished buildings;

- as an important work of father and son Metzelaar in the series of prison buildings, which they realized in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.