archie
Sign in Get the app

06 · Arts & Crafts to Art Deco

Amsterdam School

c. 1910–1930

Brick walls laid in waves and curves, rounded corners, sculpture built into the masonry, small towers and wrought ironwork.

Look for

Spire Wrought-iron balcony Stained glass Turret
Het Schip, Amsterdam, Netherlands: an example of Amsterdam School architecture
Het Schip, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Photo: Janericloebe, CC BY 3.0
Scheepvaarthuis, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Scheepvaarthuis Amsterdam, Netherlands · Janericloebe, CC BY 3.0
Tuschinski Theatre, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Tuschinski Theatre Amsterdam, Netherlands · User:DirkvdM, CC BY-SA 3.0
De Dageraad housing, Amsterdam, Netherlands
De Dageraad housing Amsterdam, Netherlands · Janericloebe, CC BY 3.0
Bijenkorf department store by Piet Kramer, The Hague, Netherlands
Bijenkorf department store by Piet Kramer The Hague, Netherlands · Txllxt TxllxT, CC BY-SA 4.0

what it is

The Amsterdam School is a Dutch style of about 1910-1930 built mainly in brick. Walls are laid in waves and patterns, corners are rounded rather than square, and the brickwork carries sculpture and wrought ironwork built into the structure. Towers and tall narrow "ladder" windows are common. Most examples are social housing blocks in Amsterdam.

Michel de Klerk's Het Schip (1917-1920) in Amsterdam originally held 102 homes, a post office and a school. De Klerk and Piet Kramer designed the De Dageraad housing there (1919-1923). The Scheepvaarthuis (1913-1916), a shipping company headquarters, carries maritime sculpture and reliefs. Kramer's Bijenkorf store in The Hague (1924-1926) has a rounded corner on Grote Markt and Wagenstraat. German Expressionism, such as Erich Mendelsohn's Einstein Tower in Potsdam (1919-1922), gave a single building a stucco-finished sculpted mass, while the Amsterdam School kept brick masonry and applied craft detail.

how to spot one

Spire A tall, tapering structure in the form of a cone or narrow pyramid, built on top of a tower or roof. Spires are most common on churches, especially Gothic and Gothic Revival ones. Wrought-iron balcony A balcony with a railing of wrought (hammered) or cast (molded) iron, often worked into scrolls and leaves. It is common in New Orleans's French Quarter and in Spanish Colonial towns. Stained glass Pieces of colored glass held together by strips of lead, called cames, to form pictures or patterns. It is most common in churches, especially Gothic cathedrals, and in Victorian and Art Nouveau buildings. Turret A small round or many-sided tower attached to the corner or wall of a building, often topped by a cone-shaped roof. It is common on medieval castles and on Queen Anne houses.

Also look for

Bay windowBelt courseFlat roofBell tower

history

The Amsterdam School grew out of the architects who worked in Eduard Cuypers' office until about 1910: Michel de Klerk (1884-1923), Piet Kramer (1881-1961) and Johan van der Mey. The Scheepvaarthuis in Amsterdam (1913-1916), designed by van der Mey with de Klerk and Kramer for six shipping companies, is considered the starting point of the movement. H. P. Berlage, whose Beurs van Berlage dates from 1903, is described as one of its fathers. The magazine Wendingen (1918-1931) was its journal.

De Klerk's Het Schip (1917-1920) and Kramer's share of De Dageraad (1919-1923) were housing for working-class tenants and a socialist housing association. After de Klerk died in 1923 the style lost importance, and Kramer was its leading figure until the early 1930s. His Bijenkorf in The Hague (1924-1926) is considered the last classic example. By the 1960s Rationalist architects were criticizing the movement. Since 2001 the former school and post office of Het Schip have housed a museum about the Amsterdam School.

where to find it

Amsterdam: Het Schip and the Spaarndammerplantsoen blocks in the Spaarndammerbuurt, De Dageraad in Amsterdam South and the Scheepvaarthuis near the harbour, plus Kramer's Bijenkorf in The Hague.

easy to confuse with

Einstein Tower, an example of Expressionism Expressionism Sculptural brick and concrete buildings with curved or faceted masses, rounded corners, and tall prow-shaped or stepped tops. Casa Batlló, an example of Art Nouveau Art Nouveau Whiplash curves and plant-like ironwork: facades that look grown rather than built. Red House, an example of Arts and Crafts Arts and Crafts Handcraft against the machine: visible joinery, natural wood and stone, and homes rooted in their gardens. Chrysler Building, an example of Art Deco Art Deco Jazz-age glamour: towers stepping back as they rise, strong vertical lines, and zigzag or sunburst ornament.