't Zonnehuis

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

DWELLING of the country house type called "'t Zonnehuis" built in 1937 on behalf of Mr A.A.C. de Vries Robbé according to a design by Jan Rebel. The client held great admiration for the architect's work and was familiar with his designs since the De Vries Robbé steel factory had previously supplied steel windows and doors for the architect's buildings on several occasions. The building is styled in Traditional style with elements from Expressionism such as the distinctive wing floor plan and the upswinging roof line. The country house is situated on the north side of a spacious garden largely surrounded by ditches, also designed by Jan Rebel. The house is situated on the north side of the layout. The garden has a lawn with a undulating form around which a border has been laid out with various shrubs and trees planted that conceal the house from the street side. To the south of the dwelling lies a heart-shaped pond with a weeping willow. The house is located in a district with predominantly interwar buildings outside the historic core of Gorinchem and is accessible via a drive with a masonry lane on the street side which presumably dates from the building period of the house and is provided with later-added gate pillars with ball finials between which a wrought-iron gate is hung.

Description

Undercellarage building with a composite, wing-shaped floor plan. Built from a black-painted plinth over one and two storeys in yellow handmade brick (chain bond, recessed joint) with plaiting along some facade edges. The composite, overhanging gabled roof with partly an upswinging roof line is covered with smoked roof tiles. The windows largely still have the original steel frames.

The front facade of the building (north) can be divided into three building volumes arranged in a semicircle. In the left building part the entrance is placed within a projecting portico under an appended gabled roof which is supported by a wooden post with corbels, placed on a parapet which serves as a separation of the portico. The portico contains, besides the original wooden door, a round-arched window which is filled with leaded glass and hung with a shutter. To the left of the entrance portico a window is placed. The middle building part is higher and contains the stairwell which is recognizable by the three tall vertical stair lights which are all filled with leaded glass. Above this facade a roof dormer with an eyelid window. The right building part has among other things a recessed round-arched door, flanked by two small vertical windows and a double garage door within a corbel arch. The end gable on the east side has a glazed terrace door, a shuttered window, a coupled window on the first floor and at the level of the loft a double window.

The garden side (south) consists of two wings with in the corner a projecting building part under a gabled roof. The right wing is divided by a tapering chimney running through the roof line. On the right of the facade a large window is placed, above this facade a roof dormer with four-part window. To the left of the chimney a double terrace door is placed with on the upper floor a four-part window. The projecting building part contains largely a covered terrace. In the eastern side gable a window with leaded glass is placed. The upper floor has a two-part window. The left wing houses the kitchen, with a double window and a panelled door with sidelight. Above this facade an elongated, half-round roof dormer with a coupled window arrangement. Above that an eyelid window. The end of this wing is the garage with a round-arched door in the south-eastern gable and a three-part window in the end gable.

INTERIOR. In the butterfly floor plan the rooms are grouped so that from the living rooms one has a fine view over the garden. Living room and dining room are coupled and border on the terrace to the south.

From the central hall, tiled with Solnhofen tiles, all rooms are accessible. The hall is articulated by arches of unplastered, lightly glazed handmade brick, the ceiling is provided with oak beam ties. The staircase has a carved oak balustrade and is lit via five large stair lights with leaded glass. On the left in the hall is the cloakroom with a square, built-in tiled fountain with a bronze tap. The living room is situated in the left wing. The oak beams which give the room a rustic atmosphere are supported by carved consoles with animal and flower motifs. Also in the living room a chimney with oak chimney beam. In the living room and in other rooms on the ground floor niches have been made which are not fitted with a wooden door or wrought-iron grille. The gentlemen's room, in the southern point of the dwelling, has a chimney with a fireplace of fair brickwork.

Valuation

The country house 't Zonnehuis is of general importance due to its cultural and architectural-historical value

- as a dwelling of the director of the well-known iron and concrete factory with a socio-economic significance of national level.

- as a design by Jan Rebel in Traditionalist style with elements from Expressionism. The building is intact in principal form, material use and detailing and possesses various interior components that recur in several dwellings by Rebel and are characteristic of his work.

The house is situated with regard to interior and exterior largely in its original state.