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Fabritiusschool
1925-1929 / W.M. Dudok

Fabritiuslaan 52 and Ruysdaellaan 6, Hilversum

In 1925, Director of Public Works W.M. Dudok (1884-1974), designed a public primary school on Fabritiuslaan. The school was expanded in 1929 with a school for toddlers along the Ruysdaellaan. Dudok adapted the appearance of the schools to the – then – rural and undeveloped environment. The schools had white-plastered facades and a thatched roof. It is the only school complex with thatched roof that the architect designed in Hilversum. The school complex was rebuilt after a fire in 1985, and was designated a national monument in 1991.

Sober

In 1925, the head of the Public Primary School on Koningsstraat, Mr. P.J. van Dijk, requested the municipality to build a new primary school. There was a huge influx of students from the neighborhood under construction in the vicinity of Gijsbrecht van Amstelstraat and Eikbosserweg. The municipality approved the construction of a school consisting of seven classrooms and a gymnasium, which should be able to grow into a school with fourteen classrooms. Due to municipal finances, the building had to be “constructed and furnished as austere as possible”.

Design

The school was built on a sloping site and consisted of two floors. Four classrooms were located on the ground floor and three classrooms on the first floor. The gym was placed at an oblique angle and was a low building volume under a far-overhanging roof. The entrance was marked by a tall chimney. Here were also the rooms of the headmaster and the teachers. The hallway was behind a more closed facade at the front. The classrooms that were in progress overlooked the schoolyard. The school was called School number 14 and was later renamed Fabritius School. Dudok had a lawn and planting laid out around the school by park supervisor J.H. Meijer.

Expansion

Immediately after the opening of School number 14 in 1927, the construction of School number 16, the later Ruysdaelschool, started. It was opened in 1929. The Ruysdaelschool consisted of one floor with seven classrooms. The entrance was to be located on the Ruysdaellaan. There was no connection between the two schools. However, the playground and gym were used by both schools. The Ruysda School was closed in 1971 due to a lack of students. The empty building section was taken into use by the Fabritius School.

Rebuild

On April 23, 1985, the school complex was destroyed by a fierce fire. The school was rebuilt by architectural firm A.A. Bos and Partners. The gymnasiums were enlarged and sliding walls were installed in the walls between the corridors and the classrooms. In 1987 the rebuilt school was opened again. The building was almost completely restored to its original state on the outside, while the interior was completely modernized.