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HOUSING MATHENESSERWEG
J. & L. DE JONGE, 1950-1953, Mathenesserweg 136-218, Rotterdam
When the Allies undertook a bombing raid over Rotterdam on March 31, 1943, they mistakenly hit the area at the end of Schiedamseweg instead of their intended target, the German Kriegsmarine complex at Vierhaven. More than 2600 houses were destroyed. This reconstruction project (the 'forgotten bombardment') consists of housing with shops on Schiedamseweg and five east-west oriented eight-storey blocks of gallery-access flats with elegant concrete entrances zones. On Mathenesserweg there is a remarkable housing project by Jos and Leo de Jonge, three angled six-storey blocks of maisonettes in a half-open layout with shared green spaces. The uppermost entry level sits just below the lift limit of 11 metres above the street plane. An alternation of balconies and access galleries makes for a lively exterior.