Herman Hendrik Baanders

Herman Hendrik Baanders (22 August 1849, in Zutphen – 31 March 1905, in Amsterdam), also known as Hermanus Hendrikus Baanders and H.H. Baanders, was a Dutch architect who was primarily active in Amsterdam.

Like many other architects around the fin de siècle, Baanders had an eclectic and historicizing style of architecture. For instance, he would use a traditional Dutch facade such as a neck-gable, but combine it with Jugendstil elements that were considered very new and modern at that time. Despite these Jugendstil elements, his work was grounded in the Neo-Renaissance of the 19th century, characterized by a high level of detail.

His most prestigious design was the Astoria building (1904–1905), a Jugendstil office building at Keizersgracht 174–176 in Amsterdam, built as the headquarters of the Eerste Hollandsche Levensverzekerings Bank insurance company. With six floors and a maximum height of 37 metres, the Astoria building was one of the first office towers in the Netherlands. Baanders designed this building together with Gerrit van Arkel. In 2001 it gained rijksmonument (national monument) status. Another design by Baanders and Van Arkel, a double house at Korte Marnixkade 4 (1893), has rijksmonument status as well.

His sons Herman Ambrosius Jan Baanders (1876–1954) and Jan Baanders Sr. (1884–1966) were prominent architects of the Amsterdamse School style, and his daughter Tine Baanders (1890–1971) was a well-known graphic artist.

Life and career Baanders, the son of a weaver, was born and raised in the provincial town of Zutphen and trained as a carpenter. In 1871 he left Zutphen to try his luck in the capital of Amsterdam. While working as a carpenter in Amsterdam, he studied architecture (bouwkunde) in the evenings at the Industrieschool van de Maatschappij voor den Werkenden Stand. The first mention of Baanders as an architect was around 1885, although the first known design by him – for a house in the Swammerdamstraat in Amsterdam – dates to 1880, presumably made while he was still training to become an architect.

Buildings Buildings in Amsterdam designed by Baanders include:

House at Lauriergracht 122 (1889) Double house at Korte Marnixkade 4 (1893), with Gerrit van Arkel House at Leliegracht 24 (1895) House at Leliegracht 12 (1896) House at Schippersgracht 5 (1897) House at Leliegracht 22 (1899) Nederlandsche Cocaïnefabriek at Eerste Schinkelstraat 30 (1900) Double house at Paulus Potterstraat 40-42 (1901) Three villas at Van Eeghenstraat 84-88 (1902) House at Vijzelgracht 27 (1902) House at Leliegracht 31 (1903–1904) Astoria building at Keizersgracht 174-176 (1904–1905), with Gerrit van Arkel