Het Huis van Zessen in Alblasserdam is een dijkhuis uit 1923, ontworpen door Cornelis van Eesteren, en bestaat dit jaar dus 100 jaar, die iets verderop aan dezelfde West Kinderdijk was geboren. Het moderne dijkhuis werd door het aannemersbedrijf van Van Eesterens vader gebouwd in opdracht van de weduwe van kruidenier Arie van Zessen, Burgerina van Zessen-Stout.
While the house was being built, Van Eesteren stayed in Paris where he worked with the painter Theo van Doesburg and Gerrit Rietveld on the De Stijl exhibition in Galerie L'Effort Moderne. The exhibition caused an international furore because of the drawings and models, which became icons of abstraction in modern architecture.
Van Eesteren had brought along the drawings of the house. Based on these, Van Doesburg designed the colour scheme for window frames, windows, doors and shutters. Van Eesteren sent the coloured drawing, with instructions for the painter, from Paris to Alblasserdam. The house was completed by the end of November. It was not until the turn of the year 1923-24 that the architect saw the house with its colours for the first time with his own eyes. In the spring of 1924, the leading French magazine l'Architecture Vivante published the design of the house.
The Huis van Zessen is one of the earliest examples of modern functionalist architecture: austere volumes, covered by a flat roof and enlivened by functional elements in primary colours. The Huis van Zessen was purchased by the EFL Foundation in 1990 and was subsequently restored by Bertus Mulder and made into a museum house.
In the Huis van Zessen in Alblasserdam, Barbara Laan has mounted an exhibition on the origins and significance of the house.
House of Sixes
West-Kinderdijk 89
2953 XP Alblasserdam.
The house can be visited after making an appointment by telephone. The caretakers, Greet & Hugo Meijdam, can be reached on tel. nr. 078 - 691 52 39 or 06 - 361 719 63 (Greet).
| Website | www.huisvanzessenalblasserdam.nl | |
| contact@huisvanzessenalblasserdam.nl |
Directions:
From Utrecht:
A27 ... at junction Gorinchem direction Rotterdam
A15 ... take exit 22 Alblasserdam
follow the signs for De Molens to West Kinderdijk 89
From The Hague:
A13 ... direction Rotterdam until junction Kleinpolderplein
A20... direction Gouda to junction Terbregseplein
A16 ... direction Ridderkerk to junction Ridderkerk
A15 ... take exit 22 Alblasserdam
follow the signs for De Molens to West Kinderdijk 89
Photograph: Frontage of Huis van Zessen, Alblasserdam, by: G.J. Dukker.
Volunteers
The Huis van Zessen can be visited by appointment thanks to an enthusiastic group of volunteers. They receive visitors and give interesting guided tours. They also maintain the house with love and are involved in all kinds of activities. There are regular meetings and excursions that focus on Van Eesteren's work. Are you interested in becoming a volunteer at the Huis van Zessen? Please let us know!