Architects: H. Kroes (1864-1953) and W.C.A. Kroes (1896-1942) Hermanus, or Herman Kroes was born in a catholic family in Haarlem on October the 21st of 1864. In 1890 he settled as an architect in Amersfoort. For several years he was a member of the Amersfoort city counsil on behalf of the catholic party. He was responsible for more than 175 projects, of which assignments of a religious nature are probably a minority. Kroes' first known works date from the 1890's. Among his profane buildings are houses, shops, a farm etc. He had completed many profane buildings, often working with W.H. Kam, before his first assignment of a religious nature. In 1898 he enlarged the Museum Flehite in his home town in Neo-Renaissance style. His earliest religious works are in Neo-Gothic style, a style he used until the 1920's. His neo-Gothic work often bears a resemblance to the work of A. Tepe. Later he also designs churches in a Neo-Romanesque that appears to be inspired by J. Stuyt. Kroes mainly worked in the Archdiocese of Utrecht. In ca. 1925 he was joined at his office by his youngest son Willem Kroes, who possibly was responsible for the influence of Expressionism. For several years the office was working as Herman Kroes and son. A 1936 phonebook however mentions both W.C.A. Kroes and H. Kroes en Zn with separate adresses. H. Kroes died in Amersfoort on March the 6th 1953. His son Willem Christiaan Albert Kroes was born in Amersfoort on January the 16th 1896. He studied architecture in Delft in and around the year 1920 and later worked for and with his father. It is not known what his contribution to the work with his father was, or the part of his father for that matter, because most of the assignments were fulfilled under the name Kroes and son. Like his father before him, he was a member of the Amersfoort city counsil. In the Second World War he was active in the resistance against the German occupation. He was arrested and was executed in concentration camp Sachsenhausen on May 11th 1942. The following is a list of the religious works of H. Kroes, including those in conjunction with W.C.A. Kroes as well as those attributed to the latter. It is not complete. |
1900 Amersfoort (U): enlargement convent Onze Lieve Vrouw New wings added to an older complex of which the parts, including the chapel, were incorporated. |
1907-1908 Amersfoort (U): church St. Henricus Originally a two-aisled church in Neo-Gothic style. Enlarged by J.Th. van Elsberg into a three-aisled church in ca. 1930. |
1905 Vriezenveen (Ov): church St. Antonius Abt Small aisleless church in neo-Gothic style, with short tower. |
1906 Barger-Oosterveld (Dr): church
St. Gerardus Majella Originally an aislelels church in Neo-Gothic style. Enlarged with side-aisles (by J.Th.J. Cuypers) in 1923 and lengthened in 1937. |
1907 Vasse (Ov): renovation church St. Joseph en Pancratius Renovation of interior only: replacement of wooden pillars and imitation vaults by brick ones. |
1908-1910 Vreeswijk (U): church St. Barbara Aisleless cruciform church in Neo-Gothic style, with tower. |
1909-1910 Overdinkel (Ov): St. Gerardus Majella Aisleless church in Neo-Gothic style, with tower at the front corner. |
1910 Leusden (U): tower church St. Joseph
Neo-Gothic tower added to a church from 1841. |
1910 Amersfoort (U): monastery St. Alphonsus/St. Joseph Complex in a combination of Rationalism, Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Gothic. |
1911-1912 Broekland (Ov): church St. Marcellinus Originally an aisleless cruciform church in Neo-Gothic style, with tower. Side-aisles added by C.A. Hardeman in 1931, turning the church into a basilica. |
1912-1913 Boerhaar (Ov): church St. Willibrordus Three-aisled cruciform basilica in Neo-Gothic style, with tower. |
1912 Woudsend (Fr):
renovation choir church St. Michael Details unknown. |
1913-1914 Spijk (G): church St. Gerardus Majella Three-aisled cruciform basilica in Neo-Romanesque style, with two front towers. |
1914
Ulft (G): church St. Antonius van Padua Three-aisled cruciform basilica in Neo-Romanesque style, with two front towers. |
1914 Epe (G): church St. Martinus Church in neo-Romanesque style, with two cylindrical front towers. Demolished in 1965. |
1916 Leusden (U):
cemetery chapel Small cruciform chapel in Neo-Gothic style. |
1916 Wehl (G): enlargement
church St. Martinus Replacement of part of the Gothic nave and the entire mid-19th century choir by a double transept and a new choir in neo-Gothic style. |
1917 Vaassen (G): church St. Martinus Big three-aisled cruciform basilica in Neo-Gothic style. |
1920 Nijverdal (Ov): church St.Antonius van Padua Three-aisled cruciform basilica in Neo-Gothic style, with lower polygonal side-aisles and tall frontal tower. |
1920-1921
Terwolde-De Vecht (G): church St. Antonius
Three-aisled cruciform church in Neo-Gothic style, with tower at the front corner. |
1921
Tilburg (NB): chapel convent De Goede Herder Cruciform basilica in neo-Romanesque style. Kroes also designed several other parts of the convent. |
1923-1924 Emmer-Compascuum (Dr): church
St. Willehadus Three-aisled cruciform basilica in Neo-Romanesque style, with similarities to work by J. Stuyt. |
1925 Alkmaar (NH): enlargement convent O.L. Vrouw Enlargement in Neo-Gothic style of an older convent by adding a storey and replacing the facade. Attributed to H. Kroes and son. |
1925-1926 Bilthoven (U): church O.L.V. van Altijddurende Bijstand Church in Expressionist style with a centralizing ground plan, with dome on the crossing. Tower with parabola-shaped spire. Attributed to H. Kroes and son. |
1925-1926 Saasveld (Ov): church St. Plechelmus Three-aisled cruciform basilica in Neo-Gothic style. Centralizing ground-plan with wide transept halfway the nave. Attributed to H. Kroes and son. |
1926 Maarn (U): church H. Theresia van Lisieux Small aisleless church in Expressonist style. Attributed to H. Kroes and son. |
1926-1928 Cabauw (U):
church St. Jacobus de Meerdere Three-aisled cruciform basilica in Expressionist style, with tower. Attributed to H. Kroes and son. |
1930-1931 Utrecht (U): church St. Nicolaas Wide aisleless church in Expressionist style. Attributed to H. Kroes and son. Demolished in 1987. |
1933 Amersfoort (U): convent and schools
O.L. Vrouwe ter Heem Complex in Traditionalist style with a convent, three schools and a chapel. Attributed to B.J. Koldewey in conjunction with W.C.A. Kroes, but the role of the latter is unclear. |
1936 Ootmarsum (Ov): convent Maria ad Fontes Complex in Traditionalist style, with chapel. By W.C.A. Kroes. |