In fact I already started this project at the end of 2002, after finding some old postcards of the Rembrandt Square in Amsterdam.
On these postcards, dating back to the beginning of the 20th century, you could see the old Rembrandt Theatre. The building catched my eye
with it's two towers on both sides and the huge leaded window in the middle.
With the little information I had at that time, I started constructing. Due to a lack of tan pieces at that time, plus the very little information
I had on details of the facade, it ended up being a huge yellow front, from which only the outlines were more or less the same as the original.
Because of that, it didn't had a long life; after a few remodellings, after which the proportions looked better, the 'thing' ended in a corner of the room,
with the idea to pick it up again at a later stage.
Not that that happened rather soon; the facade ended up as a parts donor for my other creations, and before it started falling apart, I decided to keep
only the more remarkable, better details apart for a second version, and demolished the rest of it.
december 2002, first version
I only started working on this second version in late June 2005, after I saw the old tower piece that survived from the first version while cleaning up the
hobby room. Because I had more Tan at that time, after demolishing some old MOCs, I decided to give it another try. Besides I found more information about the theatre
in the mean time, including original floor plans and facade drawings of the theatre.
The original
The original building was designed in 1902 in jugendstil style by Evert Breman and Willem Molenbroek. Molenbroek is also known
as the architect of the so-called White House (1898) in Rotterdam, one of the first office towers in Europe.
The theatre was built on several existing parcels. As it was built within an existing city structure, it had an asymmetric floor plan; at the right,
the wall gets wider to the back. It also has a small facade at the Bakkerstraat, behind the neighbouring corner building. On this side
there was a good entrance leading to the stage, and several exits.
At the Rembrandt Square facade there were three entrances, respectively the first class, the loges, and the gallery (third class).
The facade is symmetric with small towers at both sides. Remarkable for the jugendstil are the two windows shaped like an horsshoe in both towers.
Furthermore all the wrought iron, such as the flagpoles and lamps, were made in this style.
The theatre didn't last long. In 1919 it was renovated to a cinema. From the twenties the big leaded window
was hidden behind movie advertisements most of the time. In 1937 the building was renovated again. The facade was changed into a big box (or at least some
squarish tjing with very little quality, IMO). In 1940 it finally burnt down. Until the mid seventies it remained an empty spot, until the Caransa Hotel was built, which
is still there.
The LEGO model (so far)
After finding the original drawings of the theatre, I decided to use the original floor plans for my model, including the diagonal wall at the right and the smaller
facade around the corner, at the Bakkerstraat. This also means I have to include the smaller corner building at the right, to avoid an empty spot.
roof; the building becomes wider to the back
Only the facade at the Rembrandt Square and the Bakkerstraat are made in tan. On
some old pictures you can see that the facade at the small alley at the left is darker.
Most-likely all other walls are made in a darker red/brown kind of brick, which is rather logical; these bricks are cheaper than the tan ones used on the facade.
As all the other walls are hardly visible from the street, it would be a waste of money to use the more expensive tan bricks, so I decided to make these red.
At the left side you can find the exit of the gallery and most of the fire-escapes.
The back side of the building was most easy to make, as you won't find any window in a stage tower. Only near the toilets you'll
find a small window.
Interior
We do not know much about the interior. In the archives were no pictures showing the interior, and the floor plans and drawings only give a rough indication.
The interior that I plan to make will be one of my own imagination, although I the floor plans give something to go on.
The front section is partly furnished. In this part most staircases are situated. There are also some small offices.
front section
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foyer for the first class (second floor)
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lamp in jugendstil style
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staircase to the gallery
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Info
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Location: |
Rembrandtplein 25, Amsterdam |
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Year of constructionr: |
1902/03 |
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Architects: |
E. Breman and W. Molenbroek |
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Commissioner: |
Rembrandt Theatre |
Model
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Construction time: |
2 years |
