Dirk Brouwer

Personal

Vocation

Dutch architect and nonviolent resistance fighter. His father, Gerard Ferdinand Brouwer (17 September 1865, Bergen), was a concierge at a local technical school. His mother was Josina Catharina Bras (3 march 1861, Schagen). He had an elder sister Josina Catharina (13 November 1897, Alkmaar) and possibly a twin brother Dirk(?), After three years of studies Dirk Brouwer learned from various architects and attended a course for Higher Architectural Education in Amsterdam. His buildings were designed according to the Amsterdam School and he cooperated with Willem Dudok, a notable asserter of Modernism. In 1938 he designed the backside and possibly also the dome light of the Bijenkorf department store in Amsterdam. He also designed 24 HEMA stores. Cafe Astoria in Amsterdam was also designed by him. In World War II he joined the resistance and the editors of the illegal magazine Vrij Nederland. He helped general Jan Beelaerts van Blokland to hide and made drawing of airfields. When the Free Netherlands network was rolled up in spring 1941, he had to hide. But he was arrested on 7 October 1941 in the Emmalaan 10 in Amsterdam. He was executed at age 42 on 17 November 1941 at 16:11 in the dunes of Overveen according to the municipal archive (Vollstrecktes Todesurteil). His urn with ash was found in in the Hegerfriedhof of Osnabrück. He was reburied in the honorary grave field in Bloemendaal (flowers valley in Dutch). Personal Brouwer married twice. On 23 May 1928 he married Geertruida Antonia Wiedenbrugge. They divorced. On 18 December 1937 he married in Amsterdam Bertha Adriana Frensel Wegener (12 April 1905, Bloemendaal). Brouwer had at least three children, Dick, Rob and LOn. Brouwer was a socially involved Dutch reformed Christian. He gave his life for his ideals. On his last grave stone in Bloemendaal Saint Paul is cited "De laatse vijand die teniet gedaan wordt is de dood" (1 Corinthians 15:26: "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death") Link to Wikipedia