Even before the Second World War, a building reminiscent of architecture from the distant future was constructed in the small Dutch town of Heerlen. The Glaspaleis, or ‘Glass Palace’, is still regarded today as an icon of European modernism and a symbol of the Nieuwe Bouwen movement. The almost entirely glazed structure, built in 1935, aroused admiration at the time, but also outrage among some of the town’s residents. After years of neglect and a superb renovation at the turn of the century, the building now attracts the attention of architects from all over the world.
The Glass Palace in Heerlen – a mining town
The Glaspaleis was built between 1934 and 1935 on the site of a run-down block of houses on the market square in Heerlen. From the outset, the building was intended to be an exceptionally modern department store, eventually being named Modehuis Schunck. The project was spearheaded by Peter Schunck, owner of a family-run textile firm operating since 1874. At that time, Heerlen was thriving thanks to its coal mines, and the entrepreneur wanted to create a space that met the new standards of commerce. He commissioned the design of his life’s work from the Dutch architect Frits Peutz, who drew inspiration from European department stores and avant-garde modernist buildings. He was particularly struck by Les Grands Magasins Decré in Nantes, designed by Henri Sauvage, and the famous Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam.
More glass than in the Bauhaus
The result proved surprisingly bold and innovative for the mid-1930s. The building’s façades were almost entirely clad in glass, prompting the residents of Heerlen to quickly start referring to it as the ‘Glass Palace’. According to some architectural historians, the building even had a larger glazed area than the famous Bauhaus in Dessau. The nine-storey structure was based on a reinforced concrete frame, steel and glass, whilst the ground floor was finished in marble, wood and copper. The interiors were devoid of traditional load-bearing walls. Each floor was supported by around 30 distinctive columns with ‘mushroom-shaped’ capitals, whilst the beamless ceilings lent the rooms a unique lightness. Peutz described his design as a ‘stacked market’, or a multi-storey market under one roof.
The Glass Palace – controversy and technological innovations
For many residents of Heerlen, which was quite conservative at the time, the ultra-modern structure proved too radical in the vicinity of the medieval Pancratiuskerk church. However, the project was supported by Mayor Marcel van Grunsven, a proponent of avant-garde architecture. Construction was completed in less than a year, at a cost of around 184,500 guilders – equivalent to approximately 1 million euros today. The Glaspaleis quickly became a sensation across Europe, partly due to its advanced technology. Among other things, the building housed one of the country’s first lifts. The lift attendant would tell customers about the goods available on the various floors, whilst the ride itself was a local attraction. The glass façade improved natural light and helped maintain a suitable climate inside the department store.
Decline and rescue from demolition
Following the closure of the mines in Limburg, the town’s situation deteriorated significantly. In the 1970s, the Glaspaleis was rebuilt in a way that largely obscured Peutz’s original vision. The transparent façades were replaced by tinted glass, whilst additional mezzanine floors robbed the interiors of their former spaciousness. Over time, the building began to fall into disrepair and there were even calls for its demolition. The turnaround did not come until the 1990s. In 1993, the Werkgroep Rehabilitatie Glaspaleis (“Glaspaleis Renovation Group”) was established, and two years later the building was granted Rijksmonument status, i.e. that of a Dutch national monument. It was then that a major renovation began, carried out by architects Wiel Arets and Jo Coenen. During the works carried out between 2001 and 2003, the historic steel window frames, the interior layout and the characteristic columns, the former lift shaft and the full transparency of the façade were restored. The official opening of the renovated building took place on 30 June 2004.
A modernist icon has regained its splendour
Today, the “Glaspaleis” houses the SCHUNCK cultural centre. It comprises a museum of contemporary art and architecture, a library, a school of music and dance, and exhibition spaces. The institution also focuses its activities on urban planning and the heritage of the former mining region of Limburg. The building’s current significance extends far beyond Heerlen. In 1999, the Glaspaleis was included in the list of the 1,000 most important buildings of the 20th century compiled by the International Union of Architects. It is often compared to such icons of modernism as the Van Nelle Factory, the Rietveld Schröder House and the Zonnestraal complex. Looking at this almost entirely glass structure, it is hard to believe that almost 100 years have passed since its opening.
Source: schunck.nl, wielaretsarchitects.com, archiweb.cz
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