The Verweyhal is an exhibition space next to the Vleeshal on the

Grote Markt, Haarlem The Grote Markt is the central market square of Haarlem, Netherlands. According to the 1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica''; Buildings of interest * Frans Hals Museum - Hal * Grote Kerk, Haarlem *Haarlem City Hall *Statue of Johann Costerus *Arc ...

. The Verweyhal was built in the 19th century as a gentlemen's society of the former drama society, later a cultural social club,

Trou moet Blycken Trou Moet Blycken is a historical chamber of rhetoric over 500 years old and currently a gentlemen's club located in the middle of a busy shopping area on the Grote Houtstraat in Haarlem, Netherlands. History Though the society probably goes ba ...

. In the second half of the 19th century the earlier building of the drama society, which was on the same spot, was too small. In 1876 the society held a competition for a new design. The

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

architect A.J. van Beek won, and his plan was carried out with the help of local builder A. Raasveld.Rijksmonument report The building was occupied in 1880. The building is in the Eclectic style that was very popular at the end of the 19th century in Haarlem, but later fell out of fashion. In the first half of the 20th century, the building received a great deal of criticism. It was considered much too large and pompous. ‘An object of general contempt,’ according to the description of the distinguished gentlemen's society. Almost immediately, the gentleman's society had financial problems. Perhaps the building project had been a bit too prestigious. The gentlemen initially tried to alleviate the situation by raising their membership contribution. That did not help, because the number of members declined. As the increased contribution did not solve the problem, the ground floor was rented out as a shop. This income did not help either, and in 1922 the gentlemen were forced to sell the building to the city, which became the new owner for 125,000

guilder Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' " gold penny". This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Roman Emp ...

s, and they moved to their current premises further down the

Grote Houtstraat The Grote Houtstraat is a shopping street in Haarlem that connects the Grote Markt to the Houtplein in the direction of the Haarlemmerhout woods. History The street runs along one of two old parallel roads running through the city on either side ...

at number 115. The society building was converted in 1924 into the ''Spaarnebank''. The safe was on the ground floor; offices were set up on the first floor. The building was called ‘an unsuccessful box of blocks’ in 1947 by the engineer G. Friedhoff, who wanted to demolish the building and replace it with traditional façades. More renovations were carried out in 1978 when the first floor was remodelled to house the Department of Cultural Affairs, the local City Planning Authority and the office of the City Architect. Fourteen years later, in 1992, the building was renovated again as a future exhibition hall to house the collection of the Haarlem artist Kees Verwey. With support from his newly formed Kees Verwey Foundation, the first floor received a new name: the Verweyhal. The former city architect Wiek Röling made a design for the new layout together with architect Jan Bernard. Opinions about the building changed in the 1970s, and for the first time, words of praise were heard. Today, the building is an official monument and still has a museological function. The entrance today to the upper exhibition floors is through

Museum De Hallen, Haarlem Frans Hals Museum - Hal (until March 29 2018: ''De Hallen Haarlem'') is one of the two locations of the Frans Hals Museum, located on the Grote Markt, Haarlem, Netherlands, where modern and contemporary art is on display in alternating presentati ...

on the Grote Markt and no longer through the original main entrance on the Grote Houtstraat.

References

External links

De Hallen website
{{coord, 52, 22, 51, N, 4, 38, 10, E, display=title, region:NL_type:landmark_source:nlwiki Art museums and galleries in the Netherlands Frans Hals Museum Rijksmonuments in Haarlem Museums in Haarlem