Description

This talk is about the life and architecture of Charles Prosper Wolff Schoemaker. He was born in Java in 1882 and also died there in May 1949. For his secondary education and studies at the KMA, Charles was sent to the Netherlands. In 1905, he returned to the Dutch East Indies where, after a brief career in the KNIL, he held positions as an engineer at the Hydraulics Department of the Department of Civil Public Works, director of Municipal Works Batavia, independent architect and professor at the Technical Colleges in Bandung and Delft in the period 1920-1940. He played an important role in an almost forgotten chapter of Dutch architectural history: the architecture of Dutch architects in the former Dutch East Indies, colonial or Dutch East Indies architecture. Moreover, Wolff Schoemaker was the teacher and lifelong friend of Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia, and the architect of what was called "the most beautiful villa in the world": Villa Isola for the newspaper magnate D.W. Berretty.

Architecture in the Dutch East Indies developed rapidly in the first decades of the 20th century. At the beginning of this period, architects were virtually absent and the situation in the construction industry was also not very inviting for this profession. By 1940, the architect had a firm grip on building practice, cities had experienced a period of strong growth and the urban landscape had changed completely. The originally spacious centres of larger cities had given way to a more concentrated building style. Shopping streets had emerged and neighbourhoods with contiguous buildings of offices and businesses. The urban planner had made his entrance and the growth of cities took place according to pre-made plans

10.30:00 Reception with coffee
11:00 Lecture by Dr J. van Dullemen
11:45 Pause
12:15 Continuation of lecture with concluding discussion
12:45 End of meeting

Directions:
From motorway A13 Rotterdam or The Hague, exit Delft. Leave IKEA behind you. Go straight ahead at first traffic light, turn left at second (T-junction). Keep right and turn right at the next traffic lights (Mijnbouwstraat). After approx. 100 m, you will see the former mining engineering building on your right. There is some parking next to the building, and also on the service road of the Julianalaan opposite. Public transport via NS Delft Centraal, then bus 62, 80 or 81 (stop Michiel de Ruyterweg) or walk (approx. 20 min).

Speaker(s)

Jan van Dullemen (1954) studied art history at Leiden University and obtained his PhD at Utrecht University in 2008. He is a freelance researcher and lecturer. He also works as an organiser of art projects for education. In 2010, he published his book Tropical Modernity on the Indian Architecture of C.P. Wolff Schoemaker

Location

Science Centre, Mijnbouwstraat 120, Delft

Organiser

History of Technology

Histechnica

Name and contact details for information

Further information from L.A. Hissink at the e-mail address below.

hissinkla@planet.nl