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CREMATORIUM

W.M. DUDOK, M.A. POEL, 1926-1936, Duin- en Kruidbergerweg 2-4, Driehuis

ARCHITECT(URAL OFFICE):
Willem Marinus Dudok
Marius Poel

ARTIST:
Hendricus Albertus van den Eijnde

BUILDING TYPE:
Cemeteries

The founding of the Association for Optional Cremation in 1874 ushered in a protracted social debate on this alternative to burial. In 1913 the first crematorium in the Netherlands, a central-plan structure topped with a 16-sided dome designed by the Hilversum-based architect Marius Poel, was erected in the grounds of Westerveld cemetery. After the law was successfully challenged in 1915 cremation became possible but it would take until 1955 for it to become legally recognized. The basement columbarium where the urns were preserved soon proved to be too small. Dudok's addition is a semicircular building with an open-air basin, with the urns arranged in a radial pattern of galleries. A tower clad in black and white tiles is crowned with a stylized chair and urn.