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HOLIDAY RESIDENCE BRANDT-CORSTIUS
G.TH. RIETVELD, 1938-1939, Korfwaterweg 9, Petten
Literary scholar Jan Brandt Corstius and Wil Molenaar met at the youth hostel in the village of Petten and wanted to build a summer residence for themselves there. An inheritance of 3000 guilders was a great help in those years of crisis but they were none too enthusiastic about the design by their architect friend Arthur Staal. Wil Molenaar told Rietveld about her problems with Staal at a meeting of the Relief for Spain Committee (Hulp aan Spanje). 'Shall I give it a try?' Rietveld asked and knocked up a scale model out of matchboxes. This one they liked and so the summer residence was built for 2600 guilders (plus a fee of 300). Designed to a module of 1 metre, the house has a roofed terrace with large outswinging doors. The roof overhang and black plinth strength the design's horizontal thrust. Originally, the family has little time to appreciate it. In 1940 the house was requisitioned by the Germans, almost demolished like the rest of Petten and then left to the mercy of homeless villagers. Since 2013 the house has been the property of the Hendrick de Keyser historic houses association.