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Johannes Martinus (Han) Groenewegen (October 27, 1888 (
Han Groenewegen worked in the Hague as a freelance architect from 1920 to 1927. Before establishing his own firm, he used to work for the contractor R. Rutgers in the Hague. One of his few works in the Netherlands is the Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus in Schiedam. During the Great Depression, Groenewegen left the Netherlands to established his own new firm in the Dutch East Indies. Many other architects were left for the Indies during the period, e.g. Albert Aalbers. Groenewegen arrived in
Groenewegen was heavily influenced by the principle of
Johannes Martinus (Han) Groenewegen (October 27, 1888 (The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
) – April 4, 1980 ( Jakarta)) was a Dutch architect who was active in the Netherlands
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and the Dutch East Indies, and subsequently, Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Biography
Han Groenewegen worked in the Hague as a freelance architect from 1920 to 1927. Before establishing his own firm, he used to work for the contractor R. Rutgers in the Hague. One of his few works in the Netherlands is the Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus in Schiedam. During the Great Depression, Groenewegen left the Netherlands to established his own new firm in the Dutch East Indies. Many other architects were left for the Indies during the period, e.g. Albert Aalbers. Groenewegen arrived in Medan
Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four mai ...
(on the island of Sumatra) in 1927 to work on the plan for a hospital, the St. Elisabeth's Hospital (1929-1930). He was active in Medan from 1927 to 1942 to work for the Oostkust. Like Schoemaker for the city of Bandung, Gronewegen can be considered as representative of modernist Nieuwe Bouwen in Medan. Among Groenewegen's extensive portfolio in Medan are the expansion of Medan Cathedral (1928), Arnhem Insurance (now Museum Perjuangan TNI, 1930), the Roman Catholic Chinese church in Polonia (1934), Princess Beatrix School (now Immanuel Christian School, 1938), Medan swimming pool (1939), and Oranjeschool (1941). Unlike many of his colleagues however, Groenewegen remained in Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
following the independence of the country.
After the war, Groenewegen moved to Jakarta from 1947. Shortly after the war, he worked on the central reconstruction plans. One of the first buildings designed by Groenewegen in Jakarta is the Menteng cinema in Javaweg (1949-1950, now demolished). Other designs in Jakarta are the houses for the Java Bank (1952), Sumber Waras hospital in Grogol (1957), a crematorium (1958) and the Dutch embassy and chancery (1960 and 1966). From 1957, Groenewegen worked in association with Indonesian architect F. Silaban, e.g. for Bank Indonesia in Jakarta. He also worked as an architecture lecturer. Groenewegen died in April 1980 in the hospital Sumber Waras he designed.
Groenewegen also had several works outside Medan and Jakarta, e.g. the Sumber Waras hospital in Padang
Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...
(1956-1957), Savoy cinema in Bukittinggi
Bukittinggi ( min, Bukiktinggi, Jawi: , formerly nl, Fort de Kock) is the third largest city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of 111,312 in 2010 and 121,028 in 2020, and an area of 25.24 km2. It is in the Minangkabau Highla ...
(1957), and Museum Seni Modern in Bali (1959).
Design philosophy
Groenewegen was heavily influenced by the principle of Amsterdam School
The Amsterdam School (Dutch: ''Amsterdamse School'') is a style of architecture that arose from 1910 through about 1930 in the Netherlands. The Amsterdam School movement is part of international Expressionist architecture, sometimes linked ...
. While staying and working in Indonesia, Groenewegen began to incorporate Indies architectural element in his works.
See also
List of colonial buildings in Medan
Colonial buildings in Medan include those that were constructed there during the colonial period of Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. Following the establishment of the Deli Company in 1869, the city was transformed rapidly from a small kamp ...
for his works in Medan.
References
Cited works
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Groenewegen, Han 1888 births 1980 deaths Architects from The Hague Colonial architecture in Indonesia 20th-century Dutch architects 20th-century Indonesian architects Medan World War II civilian prisoners held by Japan