Indies Empire architecture

Last updated
Indies Empire Style
Istana Bogor.jpg
Istana Bogor, an early Indies Empire style residential building with its stone columns, symmetrical plan and side pavilions.
Years activemid-18th century–late 19th century
Location Dutch East Indies
Influences neoclassical, Empire Style

Indies Empire style (Dutch: Indisch Rijksstijl) is an architectural style that flourished in the colonial Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) between the middle of the 18th century and the end of the 19th century. [1] The style is an imitation of the neoclassical Empire Style which was popular in mid-19th-century France. Conformed to the tropical setting of Indonesia, the style became known in the Dutch East Indies as the Indies Empire style.

Contents

History

Rise of the Indies Empire style

The development of the Indies Empire style is strongly related to the Indies culture, a society of mixed descendants which developed in the Dutch East Indies. [1] Indies people associated themselves with high status and expressed themselves by building opulent country houses usually associated with European aristocrats. [2] [3] Many of these country houses appeared in the periphery of Batavia around the middle of the 17th-century, the architectural style of which reached its peak when it merged completely with the Javanese local architecture, a new style known as the Old Indies style.

With the arrival of Herman Willem Daendels in the early 19th-century, the development of the architectural style of these country houses took a different course. Daendels was a former colonel-general of Louis Bonaparte from France. At that time, a neoclassical architectural movement named Empire Style was popular in France. When Daendels was made the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, he made Empire Style popular in the Dutch East Indies. Conformed to the tropical architecture of Indonesia, the style became known as the Indies Empire Style. [4]

The Textile Museum in Jakarta, an example of a later period of Indies Empire style with the additions of corrugated steel shades. Musetextil.jpg
The Textile Museum in Jakarta, an example of a later period of Indies Empire style with the additions of corrugated steel shades.

By the end of the 19th-century, clubhouses and playhouses were built in big cities of the Indies such as Batavia, Semarang, and Surabaya; most were built following the Indies Empire style trend. [5] City development at the end of the 19th-century also influenced the form of the Indies Empire style. The lack of available space in city centers required modification of typical Indies Empire styled houses. Stone columns were replaced with wooden or narrow iron columns, usually imported from the Netherlands. [6] Also changing was the addition of corrugated steel shades supported by cast iron consoles to protect the windows and the front porch from rainwater and sun. [6] Examples of Indies Empire style houses from this later period are the Jakarta Textile Museum and some houses in Jalan Bubutan, Surabaya.

In the 19th century, the Indies Empire style is considered a representative of the "uptown" of Batavia, the area south of the "downtown" Kota Tua. Indies Empire Style is described as a trend in which houses were built in "...one storey with large gardens, with front and back galleries and high and wide halls; houses with hanging roofs where shade, air, and coolness were the dominant privileges...", compared with the earlier Dutch style houses in Kota Tua, described as houses with "...high dark rooms with the beamed ceilings, the white painted walls, and the red tiled floors." [7]

Decline

Indies Empire style flourished until the early 20th century, when the style was met with criticism. Indies Empire style in Indonesia was not the work of a professional architect, but the design of a building supervisor (opzichter). Modern academics such as architects Berlage and Moojen considered the Indies Empire style buildings to be low in quality; [8] which led to a renaissance of architectural style which sought a new unique identity specially attributed to the culture of Dutch Indies. Later a new style emerged, known as the New Indies Style, a modern movement and a branch of Dutch Rationalism which in the end replaced the Indies Empire style.

Characteristics

Istana Merdeka, a typical residential building in early Indies Empire style. Merdeka Palace Changing Guard 1.jpg
Istana Merdeka, a typical residential building in early Indies Empire style.

Indies Empire style is essentially Empire Style conformed to the tropical setting of the Dutch East Indies. Similar to the Empire Style, the Indies Empire Style made an eclectic use of antique motifs – usually Greco-Roman – to imitate an imperial colonial dynasty. Few buildings in the Indies make reference to the Gothic style e.g. the residence of Raden Saleh. The layout is symmetrical, with a high ceiling, thick walls, and marble floor. Buildings often have a front (voorgalerij) and rear gallery (achtergalerij), flanked with Greek columns. These front and rear porticos are very spacious compared with its original European-style to improve cross ventilation into the interior as well as protecting it from intense tropical heat and rain – a European attempt to imitate the local pringgitan, a Javanese veranda with a bamboo bench where people may sleep during a hot noon. Furniture may be placed in the portico. An afternoon dance party or a card game is usually held in the portico, a tradition which mimics a French tradition more than a Dutch or Javanese tradition. [9]

An Indies Empire Style building has a symmetrical layout and composition. It consists of a main building, sometimes with additional pavilions situated on both sides of the main building. The main building contains a central hall which connects both the front and rear portico as well as various rooms inside. A gallery connects the main building with a service building which contains rooms for slaves, storage, kitchen, and other service facilities. The whole compound is situated on a large piece of land with spacious gardens at the front, rear, and sides of the main building. Tropical palm trees usually decorate this landscaping. [4]

Examples

Spacious rear gallery of Istana Bogor was used to hold social events, a typical feature in Indies Empire style. COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Achtergalerij van het Paleis van de G.G. te Buitenzorg TMnr 10013663.jpg
Spacious rear gallery of Istana Bogor was used to hold social events, a typical feature in Indies Empire style.

Indies Empire style buildings can still be found in major colonial cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta and Surabaya. Below are notable examples of Indies Empire style buildings in Indonesia.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batavia, Dutch East Indies</span> Capital of the Dutch East Indies

Batavia was the capital of the Dutch East Indies. The area corresponds to present-day Jakarta, Indonesia. Batavia can refer to the city proper or its suburbs and hinterland, the Ommelanden, which included the much larger area of the Residency of Batavia in the present-day Indonesian provinces of Jakarta, Banten and West Java.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Istana Negara (Jakarta)</span> Official residence in Central Jakarta, Indonesia

Istana Negara is one of the six presidential palaces of Indonesia. It is located on Veteran Street in Central Jakarta, with Merdeka Palace located south. It is part of the presidential palace compound which has a total area of 68,000 m², along with three other buildings: Bina Graha which was formerly used as the President's Office, Wisma Negara on the western side which is used as the state guest house, and the office for the Ministry of State Secretariat of Indonesia. Istana Negara faces north towards the aforementioned street, while the Merdeka Palace faces Merdeka Square and the National Monument (Monas).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menteng</span> District in Jakarta, Indonesia

Menteng is a district in the administrative city of Central Jakarta, Indonesia. Menteng is surrounded by the districts of Senen and Matraman to the east, Tebet and Setiabudi to the south, Tanah Abang to the west, and Gambir to the north. Menteng is bound by the West Flood Canal to the west, Ciliwung River to the south and east, and Kebon Sirih Road to the north. Menteng is the district seat of the Central Jakarta government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Post Road</span> Historical road in Java, Indonesia constructed in the early 19th century

The Great Post Road is the name for the historical road that runs across Java that connects Anyer and Panarukan. It was built during the reign of Herman Willem Daendels (1808–1811), governor-general of the Dutch East Indies, using unpaid forced labor that cost thousands of lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kota Tua Jakarta</span> Historic downtown of northwest Jakarta, Indonesia

Kota Tua Jakarta, officially known as Kota Tua, is a neighborhood comprising the original downtown area of Jakarta, Indonesia. It is also known as Oud Batavia, Benedenstad, or Kota Lama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Indonesia</span> Overview of the architecture in Indonesia

The architecture of Indonesia reflects the diversity of cultural, historical, and geographic influences that have shaped Indonesia as a whole. Invaders, colonizers, missionaries, merchants, and traders brought cultural changes that had a profound effect on building styles and techniques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch East Indies</span> Dutch colony in Southeast Asia and Oceania (1800–1949)

The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies, was a Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which declared independence on 17 August 1945. Following the Indonesian War of Independence, Indonesia and the Netherlands made peace in 1949. In the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, the Dutch ceded the governorate of Dutch Malacca to Britain, leading to its eventual incorporation into Malacca (state) of modern Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landhuis</span> Colonial-style house and administrative heart

A landhuis is a Dutch colonial country house, often the administrative heart of a particuliere land or private domain in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. Many country houses were built by the Dutch in other colonial settlements, such as Galle, Cape Town and Curaçao, but none as extensively or elaborately as in the Residency of Batavia. Much of Batavia's reputation as "Queen of the East" rested on the grandeur of these 18th-century mansions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonial architecture of Indonesia</span> Dutch East Indies architectural style

The colonial architecture of Indonesia refers to the buildings that were created across Indonesia during the Dutch colonial period, during that time, this region was known as the Dutch East Indies. These types of colonial era structures are more prevalent in Java and Sumatra, as those islands were considered more economically significant during the Dutch imperial period. As a result of this, there is a large number of well preserved colonial era buildings that are still densely concentrated within Indonesian cities in Java and Sumatra to this day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonial architecture in Jakarta</span>

Colonial buildings and structures in Jakarta include those that were constructed during the Dutch colonial period of Indonesia. The period succeeded the earlier period when Jakarta, governed by the Sultanate of Banten, were completely eradicated and replaced with a walled city of Batavia. The dominant styles of the colonial period can be divided into three periods: the Dutch Golden Age, the transitional style period, and Dutch modernism. Dutch colonial architecture in Jakarta is apparent in buildings such as houses or villas, churches, civic buildings, and offices, mostly concentrated in the administrative city of Central Jakarta and West Jakarta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Ido</span>

Victor Ido is the main alias of the Indo (Eurasian) Dutch language writer and journalist Hans van de Wall. Born in Surabaya, Dutch East Indies from a Dutch father and Indo (Eurasian) mother. Ido was the Art Editor of P.A.Daum's Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad and later the Chief Editor of newspaper Batavia's Handelsblad as well as an accomplished musician (organist).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toko Merah</span>

Toko Merah is a Dutch colonial landmark in Jakarta Old Town, Indonesia. Built in 1730, it is one of the oldest buildings in Jakarta. The building is located on the west side of the main canal Kali Besar. The building's red color contributes to its current name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pieter Adriaan Jacobus Moojen</span> Dutch painter

Pieter Adriaan Jacobus "Piet" Moojen was a Netherlands-Indies architect, painter and writer. He studied architecture and painting in Antwerp. He lived and worked in the Dutch East Indies from 1903 to 1929. He was one of the first architects to implement Modernism in the Dutch East Indies. Moojen became widely known for his work on the Dutch entry at the Paris Colonial Exposition in 1931. He was active as an architect between 1909 and 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immanuel Church, Jakarta</span> Protestant church in Indonesia

Immanuel's Church is a Protestant church in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is considered one of the oldest churches in Indonesia. It stands on the corner of Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur and Jalan Pejambon, part of the 19th century's Weltevreden district, renamed and transformed into Gambir. The church is the only one in Jakarta that conducts some of its services in Dutch. It also performs services in Indonesian and English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French and British interregnum in the Dutch East Indies</span> French and British colonial administration in the Dutch East Indies

The French and British interregnum in the Dutch East Indies of the Dutch East Indies took place between 1806 and 1816. The French ruled between 1806 and 1811, while the British took over for 1811 to 1816 and transferred its control back to the Dutch in 1816.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Indies architecture</span> Architectural style in Dutch East Indies

New Indies Style is a modern architectural style used in the Dutch East Indies between the late 19th century through pre-World War II 20th century. New Indies Style is basically early modern (western) architecture, which applies local architectural elements such as wide eaves or prominent roof as an attempt to conform with the tropical climate of Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirebon City Hall</span> City hall in Cirebon City, Indonesia

Cirebon City Hall is a city hall in Cirebon City, Indonesia. The building shows implementation of the Dutch Amsterdam School Style in the colonial Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A.A. Maramis Building</span> Government building in Jakarta, Indonesia

The A.A. Maramis Building is an early 19th-century building in Jakarta, Indonesia. It hosts the headquarters of the Indonesian Ministry of Finance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gedong Tinggi Palmerah</span>

Gedong Tinggi Palmerah is an 18th-century Dutch Indies country house located in Jakarta, Indonesia. The building is among the protected colonial heritage of Indonesia. Like many other colonial country houses of Jakarta, despite its protection by the government, the lack of interest in the study of the building caused it to slowly fall into disrepair. It was converted into a police station.

References

  1. 1 2 Handinoto 1994, pp. 1.
  2. ↑ Milone 1967, pp. 408.
  3. ↑ Nas 2009, pp. 128–30.
  4. 1 2 Handinoto 1994, pp. 8.
  5. ↑ Handinoto 1994, pp. 11–2.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Gemeentemuseum Helmond 1990, pp. 12–5.
  7. ↑ Merrillees 2001, p. 14.
  8. ↑ Moojen 1924b, pp. 105.
  9. ↑ Handinoto 1994, pp. 11.

Works cited

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.