Blauwe Theehuis
Encyclopedia
The Blauwe Theehuis is a 1930s Modernist pavilion
in the Vondelpark
in Amsterdam
, The Netherlands. It is a ring-shaped building, somewhat reminiscent of a flying saucer. Originally a tea house
, it is now (2010) in use as a café and restaurant, surrounded by outside seating. The Blauwe Theehuis is also used for theatre performances, festivals, weddings, and other events. The building has rijksmonument
(national monument) status.
The building was constructed out of concrete, steel and glass. It consists of two circular floors stacked on top of each other, with a circular roof as the third "saucer". The octagonally shaped ground floor is topped by a 12-sided top floor which originally served as residence of the proprietor. A staircase on the outside of the building provides access to the top floor. The roof edges and balustrades and the 12 pillars supporting the top floor are painted blue.
and Jan Baanders designed the pavilion in the Modernist Nieuwe Bouwen or Nieuwe Zakelijkheid
style of architecture, a Dutch take on Bauhaus
.
On 3 May 1997, the then-owner of the Blauwe Theehuis, 55-year-old Piet Bosters, was found murdered in his residence on the top floor of the building. Apparently he had been the victim of a robbery, as 30,000 guilders had disappeared from the residence. However, there were no signs of forced entry, indicating that the perpetrator may have been an acquaintance of Bosters', or had somehow obtained a copy of the keys to the building. The case was never solved.
After the current owners purchased the building in 1998, the top floor was added to the restaurant.
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
in the Vondelpark
Vondelpark
The Vondelpark is a public urban park of 47 hectares in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located in the stadsdeel Amsterdam Oud-Zuid, west from the Leidseplein and the Museumplein. The park was opened in 1865 and originally named the "Nieuwe Park", but later renamed to "Vondelpark", after the 17th...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, The Netherlands. It is a ring-shaped building, somewhat reminiscent of a flying saucer. Originally a tea house
Tea house
A tea house or tearoom is a venue centered on drinking tea. Its function varies widely depending on the culture, and some cultures have a variety of distinct tea-centered houses or parlors that all qualify under the English language term "tea house" or "tea room."-Asia:In Central Asia this term...
, it is now (2010) in use as a café and restaurant, surrounded by outside seating. The Blauwe Theehuis is also used for theatre performances, festivals, weddings, and other events. The building has rijksmonument
Rijksmonument
A rijksmonument is a National Heritage Site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.-History and criteria:...
(national monument) status.
The building was constructed out of concrete, steel and glass. It consists of two circular floors stacked on top of each other, with a circular roof as the third "saucer". The octagonally shaped ground floor is topped by a 12-sided top floor which originally served as residence of the proprietor. A staircase on the outside of the building provides access to the top floor. The roof edges and balustrades and the 12 pillars supporting the top floor are painted blue.
History
The Blauwe Theehuis was built in 1937, after the previous tea house on that spot was set on fire and burned down in the summer of 1936. The brothers H.A.J. BaandersHerman Ambrosius Jan Baanders
Herman Ambrosius Jan Baanders , also known by his initials as H.A.J. Baanders, was a Dutch architect, designer and entrepreneur who was active in the Amsterdamse School style of architecture...
and Jan Baanders designed the pavilion in the Modernist Nieuwe Bouwen or Nieuwe Zakelijkheid
Nieuwe Zakelijkheid
Nieuwe Zakelijkheid, translated as New Objectivity or New Pragmatism, is a Dutch phrase usually describing a period of modernist architecture that started in the 1920s and continued into the 1930s; the term is also used to denote a period in art and literature...
style of architecture, a Dutch take on Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
.
On 3 May 1997, the then-owner of the Blauwe Theehuis, 55-year-old Piet Bosters, was found murdered in his residence on the top floor of the building. Apparently he had been the victim of a robbery, as 30,000 guilders had disappeared from the residence. However, there were no signs of forced entry, indicating that the perpetrator may have been an acquaintance of Bosters', or had somehow obtained a copy of the keys to the building. The case was never solved.
After the current owners purchased the building in 1998, the top floor was added to the restaurant.