Stadsschouwburg

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 CITY THEATRE on the Lucasbolwerk was built in 1939-1941 according to a design by architect W.M. Dudok. The commission that Dudok received from the municipal council of Utrecht in 1937 concerned the construction of a theatre for approximately 900 visitors, with a café-restaurant and a banquet hall. All spaces were to be capable of being used independently of each other. Dudok designed the building on the waterside, with the restaurant facing the traffic side and the theatre on the park side. He positioned the café-restaurant on the upper floor, so that not only was a fine view of the city obtained, but also it created the possibility on the ground floor for a spacious vestibule and cloakroom. In the definitive design an separate entrance for the restaurant (Esplanade) was added. The building received the most modern technical installations of that time. The theatre opened in September 1941. In 1942 an additional access was created from the foyer on the ground floor to the terrace on the park side.

Following completion there have been several alterations. The most significant were those of 1974 and 1994. In these respectively the originally closed façade of the ground floor was replaced by a glazed façade, the entrance area was partly reconfigured. The (later added) office space on the south side was demolished. The esplanade-restaurant on the upper floor was reconfigured as a foyer. The banquet hall on the second floor was converted to the Blue Hall with entrance on the side of the Lucasbridge. In 1981 an untitled artwork by sculptor Leo de Vries was placed at the corner where the entrance to the restaurant had been. All this was carried out according to a design by Wouda Architects bv. In 1994 the stage tower with associated technical rooms and performers' rooms was considerably enlarged again by Wouda Architects, architect Erik Knippers. The renewed stage tower gave rise to varying opinions in the architecture press. Finally, in 2002 an alteration took place under the direction of Monk Architects in collaboration with Paul van Dam. This was based on a partial reconstruction of the original plan. The foyer on the upper floor was again brought into use as a restaurant. The entrance area was reconfigured with the characteristic low ceiling.

Description

CITY THEATRE located at the transition between Zocherplantsoen and the outer canal with the rear façade in the water. Building in the architecture characteristic of Dudok expressed in the careful composition of volumes, lines and surfaces and the use of light yellowish-white glazed brick and steel window frames. The spatial arrangement of the building consists of an L-shape with in the large 'standing' leg the theatre hall with stage tower and foyer and in the curved 'lying' leg the entrance and cloakrooms. The different functions are externally recognizable in the volumes stepping up in height with flat roofs. On the park side (south) the building has a lightly curved, horizontally articulated form with a distinctly open and closed façade appearance in relation to each other offset parts. The entrance element on the right side is accentuated by the elegantly curved canopy on slender columns. Against the far left bay is a gilded image (1941) depicting a muse figure with an olive branch and theatre mask 'The Elevation of Art above the Need of the Times' by Leo Brom. On the waterside (north) the volumes are larger and flatter. The division of closed and open façade surfaces is precisely reversed to that of the front side. The more closed part shows a rhythm of small window openings. The foyer façade is open-worked with large windows and opening doors to the balcony above the water. The (renewed) stage tower forms a striking vertical element. The side façade (east) on the street side is relatively narrow with a characteristic round window. The corner section with the front façade was originally open with a column still present at the corner. Here there was a tall staircase that provided access to the restaurant. The corner is now closed. The single-storey extension dates from 1958-'60. The side façade (west) on the park side is largely closed with only a large window at the location of the stairwell.

In the interior all spaces have been designed with their own character, but are nonetheless strongly related to each other in style. These concern the entrance and cloakrooms, the hall, the foyers, the staircases and the rooms of the café-restaurant. Remarkable is the spatial conception of the architect whereby the entrance and the hall with the cloakrooms is relatively low, after which one enters the high, 'festive' space of the great hall in front of the hall and the foyer to the right of the hall. At the intersection of these spaces a broad staircase leads to the upper floor. From here one has a view of the hall below. In addition, here is the access to the balcony in the hall and to the restaurant. The remaining staircases have a more pronounced traffic function, but especially the left staircase has considerable grandeur due to the large window in the side façade. The hall and stage have been adapted several times over the course of time to the developing theatre technique and visitor comfort. There is one balcony against the back wall of the hall. For the finishing materials such as black and white veined marble were used for the floors and walls of the entrance and staircases. In addition to the use of steel for the window and door sections, this material is also found in the stair railings. Andries Copier designed both the integrated glass lighting in the ceilings and the large standing glass light fixtures in the foyer. The building has a basement floor in which technical spaces, storage and service spaces are accommodated.

Valuation

CITY THEATRE of general importance because of

- Cultural-historical value as an example of a theatre with banquet hall and restaurant completed in wartime;

- Architectural-historical value as an example of the work of W.M. Dudok in a style characteristic of him with the collaboration of A. Copier (lamps) and L.H.M. Brom (sculpture) and the manner in which Dudok succeeded in combining the different functionalities into a theatrical and deliberately 'festive' unity.

- Of urban design value because of its location on the boundary of the park and canal and its striking appearance there.