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Gebouw De Vereeniging / Vrijmetselaars loge
1905 / A. Salm

Oude Enghweg 19

At the end of the nineteenth century there was a shortage of space in Hilversum where cultural and liberal associations could organize activities. Architect Abraham Salm (1857-1915) was commissioned to design an association building where various associations could rent rooms. The eclectic building style was completed in 1905. Masonic lodge ‘De Gooische Broederschap’ rented space in the building from the start. Today, three lodges are active in De Vereeniging: ‘De Gooische Broederschap’, ‘Opgang’ and ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’. The De Vereeniging building was designated a national monument in 2002.

Building De Vereeniging

The contract for the construction of an association building was given by N.V. Maatschappij for the exploitation of the Building “De Vereeniging”, founded by the first masonic lodge in Hilversum, the ‘Gooische Broederschap’. Initially they rented a room to meet there once every fortnight and the great hall several times a year to serve as a temple space, but ten years later the Freemasons took over the building completely.

The association building was designed by Salm in an eclectic architectural style, combining Jugendstil elements and Chalet style. A striking feature of the building is the dark plinth with white plastered facades above it with red bands. The overhanging roof with wooden half-timbered decoration is characteristic of the chalet style that was popular at the time. The beautiful stained glass windows have Jugendstil features. The building was originally designed to also host small stage or musical performances. The height of the main hall is 11 meters and it has a balcony. The stage has now been separated from the main hall by a partition and the sloping floor has been straightened.

The architect

A. (Abraham) Salm GBzn received his education by taking private lessons in both the Netherlands and France (Paris). In 1880 he started working at the architectural firm of his father Gerlof Bartholomeus (1831-1897) in Amsterdam. Father and son built a lot, especially in Amsterdam: banks, factories, tram stations, churches, synagogues, bridges, villas, shophouses, various buildings for Artis, a crematorium and a theatre. Son Abraham settled in Hilversum in 1894 in villa Beau Regard on the Jacobus Pennweg. In Hilversum he designed several villas in his typical eclectic architectural style. In his later life Salm took a prominent place within the Society for the Promotion of Architecture, of which he was chairman from 1898 to 1912.

Restauration

Over the years, several renovations have been made to the building. In 1931 a new entrance was made on the side of the building. In 1975 the current entrance was realized with cloakroom and toilet groups. The small hall (‘Voorhof’) was also renovated. In later years the windows were protected with secondary windows. In the period 2000 to 2009 the entire building, both on the outside and inside, was thoroughly renovated and refurbished.