Woonhuis, Oranje Nassaulaan 7

English translation

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Description

Introduction.

Former double townhouse with rear courtyard located in the district Het Zand, enclosed by a garden wall. It concerns a corner dwelling (number 7-7a) and a mid-terrace dwelling (number 9), bounded by the Oranje Nassaulaan, the Verlengde Luybenstraat and the Mayweg. The district Het Zand has been laid out from approximately 1890 in an area between the old city centre and the railway and derives its name from the necessary raising of the terrain which had been excavated for military inundations. The dwellings were realised through private initiative and predominantly occupied by prosperous citizens of Den Bosch. From the Stationsweg, the primary main axis of Het Zand, the wealth of ornamentation of the buildings decreases in northern and southern directions, which corresponds to the original land prices and the social status of the former owners and inhabitants. The townhouses, now in use as dwelling combined with office/business, were built in 1903 by the Belgian-born architect J. Dony. Dony designed in various styles. The applied building style shows many influences of the Neo-Renaissance. They were built on the commission of J.P. van Hoof. Number 7 underwent internal modifications on certain elements during a later division into a ground-floor and upper-floor dwelling and was acceptably adapted.

Description.

The partially cellared brick buildings cover an L-shaped floor plan and comprise two storeys and a roof storey at the Oranje Nassaulaan and the Verlengde Luybenstraat under a hipped roof covered with Maasleien, consisting of a long roof slope on the street side and a short roof slope on the rear side. On the less representative sides (Mayweg) the houses comprise three storeys under a flat roof connecting to the short roof slopes. At the rear of both houses a one-storey veranda extension with an overlying balcony with between them two adjoining, slightly lower one-storey kitchen extensions under a flat roof. Centrally in the roof slope at the Oranje Nassaulaan an abutting stepped gable with a top pilaster with on either side a wooden roof dormer with French balcony fitted with wrought-iron railing under a partially projecting running hipped roof, further smaller roof dormers and decoratively laid chimneys, partly with speckled courses and ornamental wall anchors. Ridge cresting with ornamental finials. In the flat roof several roof lights. The buildings laid in cross-bonded brick with cut joints are enlivened (particularly on the representative sides) by the use of green and yellow glazed brick and red facing brick for application in relieving arches, speckled courses and decorative masonry; furthermore ashlar for entrance steps, plinths, thresholds, cordons and drip mouldings, closing and setting stones, oriel console brackets, letterboxes and for capping and as decoration on the gable tops, garden wall and balcony baluster. Facade openings and entrance porticos right-angled or under segmental, round or basket-handle arch. Along the top of the facades at the Oranje Nassaulaan and Verlengde Luybenstraat a profiled gutter on corbels, partly incorporated in a frieze with decorative masonry. Gutter at the Mayweg executed more simply. Along the base of the facades an ashlar plinth. The front facade (Oranje Nassaulaan) of the double townhouse set up nearly mirror-symmetrically in both floor plan and external appearance comprises six bays on both the ground floor and the first floor, of which the right corner bay is chamfered, which is characteristic of the corner solutions of the building blocks in Het Zand. Frequently sash windows. Fanlights with uncoloured (number 7-7a) and yellow (number 9) cathedral glass. Entrance porticos on the ground floor with glazed and latticed double panel doors. On the first floor wooden, rectangular oriel extensions under abutting hipped roof dormers and on corbels. Right-hand facade at the Verlengde Luybenstraat with detailing as mentioned above. Original windows placed one above the other. Rear facades executed more simply. Windows under segmental arches, some replaced or simplified. Fanlights of verandas with small glazing bars. Balconies partly with decoratively laid, partly with iron geometric balusters. The rear courtyard is separated from the street by a brick garden wall, covered with ashlar and enlivened with a speckled course of red profiled facing brick and casements with mouse-tooth moulding. In the wall two arched entrances under a small stepped gable with wooden attached doors.

The mirror-symmetrical layout of the floor plans has been preserved. In the centre, directly behind the entrance doors, the staircase to the storeys with on the ground floor on either side a suite of rooms and a rear conservatory and kitchen extension. Among the notable features of the interiors are: cellars (storage and coal cellar) with trough vaults between profiled ironwork; vestibule with draught doors fitted with yellow cathedral glass with small glazing bars (only 9); hall with marble floor tiles (number 9), thresholds and plinths; living rooms with panel (sliding) doors, some with original door handles and ironmongery, profiled door frames, ceilings with stucco and mouldings and marble chimneypieces; stairwell with decoratively carved stair balusters, storage cupboard under the stairs and roof light on the landing with geometric glazing bars and coloured glass; kitchen with terrazzo floor and worktop, original kitchen cupboards, sink, chimney breast and various wall tiles (particularly 9).

Valuation.

The double townhouse is of general importance. The object possesses cultural-historical values as an example of dwellings for the more affluent. The social status is closely linked to the situation in an urban planning context. Furthermore because the object as part of the first urban expansion outside the town walls represents an important phase in the urban planning development of Den Bosch. The object has architectural-historical values due to the importance of the style employed for the oeuvre of architect Dony. Furthermore due to the high-quality aesthetic qualities of the architectural design, the carefully detailed ornamentation and varied detailing in the facades and parts of the interior. The object has ensemble values as part of the historical subdivision along one of the main roads of the district Het Zand. There is a strong stylistic and architectural relationship with adjoining block development, among other things located in the juxtaposition of the chamfered corner. The object is of importance due to its architectural integrity and the many preserved elements from the interior and contributes to the visual and structural integrity of the district Het Zand.