Woonhuis, Wilhelminapark 124

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 Art Nouveau GENTLEMAN'S HOUSE WITH PRACTICE was built in 1910 after a design by architect C.J.M. Kocken from Tilburg for Dr. A.H.L.E. Piters.

Description

The cellared two-storey building has a rectangular floor plan and a composite roof with red Tuile-du-Nord tiles. The facades of the semi-detached building are constructed of machine-made brick. Brown glazed brick bands frame the arches of doors and windows. The high parapet wall, window sills, lintels, ornaments, brick courses and structural details are of sandstone. The front facade consists of planes staggered in height and depth. In the middle recessed section are both entrances, to the right of which a risalit with a stepped gable.

On the left at the corner of the porch an arkeltower adjoining a building section under a hipped roof with ball finial. In the front facade of the left risalit three cellar windows with Art Nouveau wrought iron grilles. Above these a round-arched window with chamfered brick edge. The window in this is positioned as a shallow inset bay window. The mullions next to the angled narrow window sides are crowned by four connected "pattern houses". The tripartite fanlight behind this is kept in the flat plane and provided with faceted cut crystal glass. Next to this is a narrow arched window with figurative stained glass with Asclepius. On the corner next to this rises the octagonal arkeltower with vaulted profiled sandstone base, projecting from the first floor. In the sides of this two-storey turret narrow windows with stained glass fanlights. The copper spire roof with oval finial rests on an overhanging edge with profiled wooden corbels. Above the window of the bel-étage a six-part round-arched window with stained glass fanlights. The middle building section contains both doors. The practice door on the left is accessible via two steps with dark red and black tiled landing. The panel door has a semi-circular fanlight and a simple shoe scraper is recessed in the wall beside it. To access the doctor's house several more steps must be climbed, to a landing with terrazzo and mosaic with whip-lash motif. The door is likewise varnished and provided with carving and wrought iron ornamental grille. In front of the door is a wooden canopy with geometric decoration such as circles with stripes and a crowning with pattern-house-like elements. The door has side windows and an arched fanlight with faceted crystal glass.

Next to the door another shoe scraper. Above this a sash window with lintel, roller course and relieving arch. In the roof plane a roof dormer with lean-to roof has been placed. The right building section contains two more cellar windows and a round-arched window as in the practice space. On the floor above French doors with fanlights and side windows, opening onto a rectangular balcony with open sandstone balustrade. This balcony forms the transition to a further recession of the overlying part of the facade. Both the balcony windows and the stepped gable window have again a lintel, roller course and relieving arch.

Beside this window with stained glass fanlight on both sides a lightly recessed slot with a square ornament at the top. Above the window brick mosaic. The stepped gable has below the profile moulding a stepped finish and a semi-circular spout. The side facades are blank. Adjoining the right side facade is a narrow tall chimney with saddle-back coping.

The rear facade has on the left a large conservatory extension under a flat roof, provided with fanlights with small glazing bars. Beside this the extended kitchen under a flat roof and then a recessed section with former cellar entrance. Above this attic windows, which on the floor above still has the original worked zinc flounce. The windows on the left are broad and six-part. In the middle above the kitchen are the three tall arched windows of the stairwell. The interior of the doctor's residence is intact and finely detailed. The entrance vestibule has white marble on the floor and as wainscoting. On the right is a large oak coat rack with iron decorative hooks. On the left the door opening has been closed to accommodate a lift situated behind it. The vestibule doors are provided with etched glass with geometric grid decoration. The windows on either side and above the vestibule doors have stained glass with rosettes. The ceiling has Art Nouveau plasterwork. This is followed by the central hall, where a broad grand staircase with galleries over two floors determines the layout. The dark oak staircase has balusters and railings with decorative carving. The stairwell is lit by stained glass windows with decorations of bottle bottoms, flowers in hanging baskets and a parrot on a stick. Additionally, a colourful stained glass window pane has been installed. Oak wainscoting and worked oak door surrounds complete the whole. On the right is access to the interconnected rooms with a conservatory built around 1920. The door is, like the other doors, of heavy oak with cushion panels, small glazing bars in the fanlight and copper door handles provided with geometric decoration. The front and rear rooms each have a curved wooden ceiling of figured wood with dark decorative bands. The sliding doors are arched, and storage cupboards on either side also have arched tops. In the hall on the left a matching table has been placed with a mirror. At the end of the hall is a door with glass as in the vestibule doors, leading to the renovated kitchen. Under the stairs is the access door to the cellar. The house is entirely cellared. In the various rooms are cabinets with fly screens and rows of plastered arched storage spaces for wine. On the front side is a very large space arranged as a second kitchen complete with the original kitchen cupboards with glazed doors. The matt, diagonally laid floor tiles and the glossy cream-coloured tiles with diamond-shaped green decorative motif covering the walls are also original.

The front room on the first floor has in the corner a striking niche with, now bricked up, stained glass for lighting. On the attic which functioned as a drying loft for washing hang wooden drying rails. The front door to the former practice section leads to a hall with staircase with tiled wainscoting in white with black. A stained glass window with among other things marble glass with Asclepius underscores the original function. The practice space consists of interconnected rooms with sliding doors in which panes of faceted glass. These rooms are considerably smaller than the interconnected rooms intended as a living room. The ceilings here are provided with Art Nouveau plasterwork. In the hall and on the landing are still small old radiators.

Valuation

The building is of general interest. It has cultural-historical importance as an example of socio-economic development, namely the scaling up of the older urban structure and is important for the typological development of the doctor's residence. The building is architecturally valuable because of the style and place in the oeuvre of the architect. It is also important because of the use of materials and ornamentation, as well as the particular coherence between exterior and interior. The building has group value as part of a larger ensemble, which is of cultural-historical, architectural-historical and urban significance of national importance. Finally, the house is important because of the integrity of interior and exterior and in relation to the structural and visual integrity of the urban building stock.