Acquisition of the archives of the former Chief Government Architect J.J. M. Vegter Acquisition of the archives of the former Chief Government Architect J.J. M. Vegter

Yearbook of the Architectural Study Group (BSK), 1930. Between 1929 and 1932, Vegter is the Vice-President of the Architectural Study Group (BSK), an illustrious student group of twelve 'apostles' headed by M.J. Granpré Molière. The main theme of the group consists of a religious sense of hierarchical relationships and reciprocity among all phenomena in the world. It is an important source of inspiration for the integrated design approach that will characterise the design practice of Vegter throughout his life. Archive: J.J.M. Vegter, dossier Study at the TH Delft

Yearbook of the Architectural Study Group (BSK), 1932. Between 1929 and 1932, Vegter is the Vice-President of the Architectural Study Group (BSK), an illustrious student group of twelve 'apostles' headed by M.J. Granpré Molière. The main theme of the group consists of a religious sense of hierarchical relationships and reciprocity among all phenomena in the world. It is an important source of inspiration for the integrated design approach that will characterise the design practice of Vegter throughout his life. Archive: J.J.M. Vegter, dossier Study at the TH Delft

J. Vegter, travel sketch of the 'Porta del Ponte', Italy, 1939. Thanks to a scholarship from the Technical College of Delft, Vegter and his wife Julie van der Kieft go on a honeymoon to Dubrovnik and several towns in northeast Italy. Countless sketches in the archive of Vegter testify to a profound cultural interest in historic towns and villages. Archive: J.J.M. Vegter, dossier Travel sketches

J. Vegter, photos from the report Zomerverblijven, which is part of the expansion plan for the municipality Tietjerksteradeel, ca. 1940. In order to meet the increasing demand for summer houses in Friesland, while maintaining the typical character of the Friesian wetlands, Vegter sets up guidelines for summer cottages: low ridge height, horizontal facade, surrounded by trees, using natural building materials located at some distance from each other. Archive: J.J.M. Vegter, dossier Tietjerksteradeel

Vegter and the former director of the Kröller-Müller Museum A.M.W.J. Hammacher select contemporary artists for the decoration of the Gelderland Province House and the adjacent Sabelspoort. The artist Simon Erb, for example, designs reliefs for the entrance portals of the provincial government building and a tapestry for the Sabelspoort. Archive: J.J.M. Vegter, dossier Gelderland Province House

J. Vegter, design for the new construction and the restoration of the city hall of Groningen, ca. 1960. Vegter is also active in architectural conservation and is involved in many restorations. In addition to a design for a new city hall in Groningen, he also makes a restoration plan for the old city hall. This drawing of the old city hall testifies to his keen eye for existing buildings, the way they are structured, and the way they function. Archive: J.J.M. Vegter, dossier City Hall Groningen

J. Vegter, Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with M. Bolten, J.C.M. Franken and F. Sevenhuysen, Den Haag, 1970-1975. Image: Hans Maal. The design features a full integration of landscape, architecture, interiors and upholstery. Archive: J.J.M. Vegter, file Ministry of Finance

The archive of Vegter stretches from his education at Delft (1925) to the period in which he worked together with his son Chris Vegter (1974). Between 1925 and 1932, Vegter studied at Delft, where he was influenced by the views of the professors H.J. Evers and M.J. Granpré Molière. His application of the Beaux-Arts design method (the grouping of wings around a courtyard) and his love of representation, ornaments and symbols are indebted to these forming years and continue to characterise the rest of his oeuvre. The influence of the urban design practice of Granpré Molière, in which urban expansions follow the existing structures of the landscape, is evident in for example the expansion of Harlingen (1942-1960).

The archive reveals an architect who manifests himself primarily as a designer and facilitator, rather than a theorist or publicist. His most important designs, including the Gelderland Province House in Arnhem (1955) and the Reconstruction of the Grote Markt in Groningen (1952-1962), were realised in a period when the debate in Dutch architecture is dominated by a theoretical struggle between two movements: the Delft School and Functionalism. In 1959, the editors of the magazine FORUM write a passionate plea for a third movement that reintroduces the human scale and the cultural and humanistic values in architecture. Within these discussions, Vegter can be seen as a man of two generations: artistically formed in the twenties, while being a child of the 'reconstruction generation', which can be seen in the application of modern construction techniques and materials, abstraction of the architectural idiom, sculptural use of concrete and the integration of contemporary art.

The private archive of Vegter is a wonderful resource for study on the way he dealt with the theoretical knowledge gained at the Technical College of Delft and applied it within the Frisian building tradition. When Vegter opened his architectural firm in Leeuwarden in 1935, the construction of the Afsluitdijk (Closure Dike) had just been completed. As a result, Friesland had become less isolated and the need for urbanization and leisure increased. Through his expansion plans and his teaching position at the MTS in Leeuwarden, Vegter introduces the design methods from Delft in Friesland. The archive of Vegter shows the potential of the province for experimentation and the specific conditions it demands due to the strong contrasts between the city and the countryside. The archive includes his study of summer houses in Tietjerksteradeel. His vision, in which the 'new' should develop in harmony with the existing, led to guidelines for recreational cottages: low ridge height, horizontal facade, surrounded by trees, using natural building materials and located at some distance from each other.

Due to the diversity of his oeuvre, the archive of Vegter offers a rich documentation of the rise of the post-war welfare state in the Netherlands. From the moment Vegter establishes his own firm until his retirement as Chief Government Architect in 1971, he designs and builds a wide range of building types: town houses, offices and commercial buildings, homes for the elderly, orphanages, hospices, health centres, schools, recreational areas, water supply companies, social housing and private villas. With every new commission he looks at the urban situation, the landscape, the architecture, interior design, furniture and upholstery, as well as a psychological enrichment with contemporary art. Amongst others, this design approach becomes apparent in his recommendation to use wallpaper from the manufacturer Rath & Doodeheefver in the retirement home 'Boskrânne' in Sint Nicolaasga (1958). Another significant source is the extensive correspondence with art historian, critic and former director of the Kröller-Müller Museum A.M.W.J. Hammacher, about the inclusion of contemporary art in the Gelderland Province House (Arnhem).

After his appointment as Chief Government Architect in 1958, Vegter continued his private architectural practice in Leeuwarden, because of his constant thirst for knowledge and practical experience. Vegter was the first Chief Architect 'New Style', who combined this office with an independent architectural practice. As a result, this private archive and his legacy as Chief Government Architect, managed by the National Archives, are closely linked. Vegter had a distinct view on the position of Chief Architect, which is visible in his private design practice. He thought the Chief Architect should be an example for the achievement of architectural quality and as Chief Architect he took on several roles: as designer (whether or not in collaboration with others), as stimulator, director, counsellor, supervisor, and as the authority that chooses the location and architect for new construction or renovation. His private archive is not only a rich source for research on twentieth-century design culture, but also a reflection of his position as Chief Architect. The broadening of the rate regime for visual arts that he implemented as Chief Architect and the collaboration with visual artists in his own work are examples of this. Moreover, by maintaining his own practice the Government Buildings Department came under a more direct influence of the daily design practice and innovations in design and building technology. For example, Vegter experimented with prefabricated concrete structures in his private designs, which he later used in the new building of the Ministry of Finance (in collaboration with M. Bolten, J.C.M. Franken and F. Sevenhuysen, Den Haag, 1970-1975).

The acquisition of the archive of Jo Vegter represents a significant enrichment of the collection of Het Nieuwe Instituut. His archive sheds new light on the dissemination of knowledge on urban planning and architecture from the architecture schools in the Randstad to more remote regions such as Friesland. His legacy also forms a basis for research on the intellectual interaction between the position of Chief Architect and the individual design practice. Vegter has created designs and buildings with a very distinct signature. His designs are always inspired by the urban and rural situation, insight into the people that will use the building, and the formal, material and cultural qualities of the location and the function of the building. In so doing, he aims for a broad design culture in which nature, engineering and art are intertwined.

The archive of Jo Vegter also represents an important addition to the so-called 'reconstruction archives' that are already part of the collection of Het Nieuwe Instituut. It is both an enrichment and a further specialization of the post-war archives of architects such as J.H. van den Broek and J.B. Bakema, M.F. Duintjer, Jos. Bedaux, J.W.C. Boks and J.F. Berghoef. The acquisition of the archive strengthens the tradition of the Delft School within the collection and provides a nuance to the clichéd contrast between traditional and modern. The archive of Vegter shows a more fluid and simultaneous historical image, and shows that innovation and modernity are not one-dimensional and autonomic phenomena, but instead are rooted in an existing design culture.

The legacy of J. Vegter is not acquired in its entirety. A selection was made and tested against the collection themes of the acquisition policy, with the aim to increase the social relevance of the collected archives and to support future research. Currently, the archive is being conserved and described. At the end of 2015 it will be available for the public.

S. Fischer, M. Kuipers, Ir. J.J.M. Vegter (1906-1982) architect rijksbouwmeester (1958-1971) stedenbouwkundige, Tresoar Fries Historisch en Letterkundig Centrum, Leeuwarden, 2012

C.J. van der Peet, G.H.P. Steenmeijer et al., De rijksbouwmeesters. Twee eeuwen architectuur van de Rijksgebouwendienst en zijn voorlopers, Rotterdam, Uitgeverij 010, 1995

Ellen Smit, Heritage