Architects: Oomen brothers

The history of the Oomen architects is a long and confusing one, spanning three generations, six architects from one family and a split in two seperate firms. The first generation comprises three brothers, sons of a catholic tanner in Oosterhout, the town where all brothers were born and died. Their second cousin, the local architect C.A. Oomen (1857-) may have been their inspiration to pursue a career in architecture. Little is known about their architectural education. Probably all three attended the local drawing school. The youngest also attended the school for arts and crafts in 's-Hertogenbosch. 

The Oomen architectural firm was founded in Oosterhout in 1895 by Johannes (Jan) Oomen (1872-1955), only 22 years of age at that time. His first work appears to be for a catholic youth center in his hometown that same year. In 1908 his youngest brother Wilhelmus Gerardus (Wim) Oomen (1879-1963) joined the office.
The second brother Anthonius Wilhelmus (Anton) Oomen (1875-1961) began his career as a draftsman and overseer for architect Van der Lee in Breda and moved to Oud-Beijerland in 1901, being employed as the overseer at the construction of the new sugar factory in Oud-Beijerland. While the sugar factory would be his employer until 1919 he was taking other architectural assignments at the latest since 1910. In 1919 he moved back to Oosterhout and joined his brothers' firm as well. His contacts followed suit; he would be employed by the collective sugar factories CSM for over fifty years.

The Oomen office gathered many assignments related to the Catholic church. Among these were churches, monasteries and convents, schools and hospitals, often for the Franciscan sisters and probably all in the parts of Noord-Brabant and Zeeland that belonged to the Breda diocese. Many designs were made under the collective name Oomen Brothers, so it is often unclear who designed what. The oldest known assignment of a religious nature concerns the church of St. Antonius in Oosterhout; Jan Oomen elaborated a general design made by P.J.H. Cuypers, took care of the bidding and was probably also the executive architect.

The office also has a long tradition, continued until the present day, in the field of hospitals. Jan and Wim were responsible for the big St. Ignatius hospital in Breda completed in 1923, while Anton designed the extension of the St. Elisabethgesticht in Oudenbosch (NB) in 1927 and the entirely new St. Antoniusgesticht in Oostburg (Z) in 1931-1932.

In 1934 the firm was split, when A.W. Oomen and his oldest son Bernardus Peter Johannes Oomen (1908-1970), who graduated as a civil engineer at the Delft Polytechnic in 1933, began their own architecture and engineering office, also in Oosterhout. The second son Piet (1909-1934) was expected to join the office as well but died that year of a neglected cortex, just before his graduation at Delft Polytechnic. In 1950 the original firm, for lack of successors, merged with Anton's and Bernard's office, and Jan and Wim retired.  

Anton and Bernard Oomen were joined in 1944 by the third son and brother Wilhelmus Franciscus Johannes (Wim) Oomen (1917-2011). The latter continued the office after the early death of his brother at the age of 62, together with his companion A.A.M. (Lex) Kohlmann, and retired in 1982. In 1976 the office had been joined by B.J.P.'s son Toon who continued to work at the office until his retirement in 2257. Although Toon was the last Oomen to work at the firm, it still bears that name but is currently based in Breda.

It seems Jan and Wim were the main church architects, making a transition in style from neo-Gothic to (moderate) Expressionism and eventually Traditionalism. Anton and Bernard also designed several churches and chapels, starting with Traditionalism and Bernard eventually ending with Functionalism. The departure of Anton and Bernard is a cause of confusion for the period 1934-1950, when the two offices both existed. Contemporary press sometimes referred to both offices as Oomen brothers, although thankfully in most cases "J. and W. Oomen" is also mentioned. As both offices in this period worked in Traditionalist style mostly, a tradition which left little room for individuality, the works of the two offices are sometimes difficult to tell apart. 

The following is a list of churches and works for religious congregations of both firms. It is incomplete.