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MenuHomeUpfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon | DE RIDDER, JohanBorn: 1927 01 21Died: 2013 01 29 ArchitectSACA:Reg No: 1273 Year registered: 1951 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(BArch (Pretoria) 1950) In 1959 his address was listed as Stadsentrum 718, Pretoriusstraat 272, Pretoria. (Transvaal Inst. practicing. ISAA Yearbook, 1959) Johan DE RIDDER was invited to participate in the 50 year Anniversary of the University of Pretoria School of Architecture Alumni Exhibition held at the Pretoria Art Gallery on 7-25 July 1993. The following is a short biography which was published in the catalogue at the time. Gebore te Pretoria op 21 Januarie 1927.
Ervaring opgedoen by argitekte: wyle Mnr. P.S. DIJKSTRA (1944) en Mnr. Aubrey NUNN (1946), en by die Transvaalse Werkedepartement (1950). Kursus in restourasie: Rijksmuseum Amsterdam (1966). Loopbaan: In 1951 begin praktiseer in vennootskap met wyle Jaap WOUDSTRA (cf WOUDSTRA & DE RIDDER). Na die dood van Mnr. WOUDSTRA in 1953 onder eie naam die praktyk voortgesit vir die afgelope 40 jaar tot op hede. Gedurende die afgelope twee jaar het my seun Tienie [DE RIDDER] tot die praktyk toegetree. In die tydperk is 'n wye veld van groot en klein kontrakte uitgevoer, soos woonhuise, kerkgeboue, kerksale, restourasieprojekte, monumente, bejaardesentrums, aftree-oorde, woonstelle, jeugsentrums, skole, kantoorgeboue en laboratoriums. Tien jare gedien op die Raadgewende Stadsbeplanningskomitee en as voorsitter van die Estetiese Komitee van die Stadsraad van Pretoria. Aktiewe rol gespeel in die Kerk, kultuurorganisasies en die Belastingbetalersvereniging van Groenkloof. Lidmaatskap: Instituut van S.A. Argitekte - S.A. Raad van Argitekte - R.I.B.A. (1954 - 86) __________________________________ The following biography was submitted by Tienie [Josephus Marthinus] DE RIDDER. 2011. Johan [Johannes] de Ridder was born in 1927 in Pretoria, where he lived and worked all his life. After he matriculated in 1943 at Afrikaans Boys High School, he was one of the first students (1944-1950) at the new architecture school of the University of Pretoria - under the headship of Professor AL MEIRING, who is a cousin of Wynand LOUW. The decision to found an independent architecture school at the University was taken by Gerard MOERDYK President of the Council of the University. He wrote to Schalk LE ROUX in 2008: For seven years I struggled through the course in the Mac Fadian building in Vermeulen Street, led by Prof. dr. A.L. MEIRING, Messrs. Philip NEL, Cole BOWEN, Basil SOUTH, Helmut STAUCH, Prof. Tobie LOUW, Prof. J. FASSLER, Messrs. Frans WEPENER Gordon MAC[INTOSH], Norman EATON and others and on 23 September 1950 obtained the Bachelor of Architecture. In my years there was included, Jan VAN WIJK, Jack VAN RENSBURG, Mike BROWNE, Eddie ZIKMANN Eddie FLOWER, Nic MEYER, Barry AUSTIN, Tubby GILLSON, J.C. WITTHUHN, Peter HOOK and Cor GROBBELAAR and the late Isaac BOSMAN, Karel JOOSTE, Porky MAARTENS and Richard MÖNNIG. Johan is the son of Dries [Johannes Andries] de Ridder (1898 - 1960) who became the first Secretary of the Parks Board in the 1920s. After the 2nd World War he served as Secretary of State Advances and thereafter, in 1958, Secretary of Social Welfare and Pensions until his death. His mother was Cecile [Cecile Hendrika] de Ridder (1901 - 2002), sister of Dr. Willem [Willem] Punt (1900 - 1981) for many years the force behind the creation and Director of the Simon van der Stel Foundation. She strove to improve the living conditions of needy elderly and children. Later, in 1938, she was involved in the Movement Volkspele [Folk-dances]. She was responsible for the following major performances of the movement in 1949: the inauguration of the monument, in which 2,300 people performed before a crowd of ± 250,000 Afrikaners, in 1952 in Cape Town at the Van Riebeeck Festival with more than 3,000 participants, in 1955 in Pretoria at Loftus with over 2,000 participants during the celebration of the Centenary of Pretoria, annually in the "Caledoniese Gronde" with 2,000 participants during the Jacaranda Festival in Pretoria. After a brief period in the service of the Public Works Department in Pretoria, DE RIDDER founded a practice with a fellow student Jaap [Jacob] WOUDSTRA (1898-1953) under the name of WOUDSTRA AND DE RIDDER ARCHITECTS in 1951. WOUDSTRA died shortly after the Reformed Church in Brooklyn was inaugurated. He was the first person buried in the Church on which he and DE RIDDER worked so enthusiastically. DE RIDDER continued the practice, but the name was soon changed to JOHAN DE RIDDER ARCHITECT. In 1991 he decided to retire and handed the practice over to one of his sons Tienie [Josephus Marthinus] DE RIDDER (1962), who is qualified and the practice has continued to date under the same name i.e. JOHAN DE RIDDER ARCHITECT. When Johan began his studies, the profession was still regarded as traditionally English-speaking and most of the lectures/tutorials in the Architectural School were therefore in English. DE RIDDER, however, started translating and drawing Afrikaans annotations and specifications on his own. He was a founding member of the Simon van der Stel Foundation, in which his uncle was involved. Besides the work he was an active member / Elder of the Reformed Church for most of his adult life. He has also actively participated in all the major events of Volkspele [Folk-dances]. He was Member / Chairman of Committees of the former Publications Board. He has over 10 years voluntarily and without compensation been a member of the Urban Planning Advisory Committee of the City Council of Pretoria and served the Aesthetic Committee for several years as Chairperson. He married Suzette [Suzette Douwine] Fourie (1928) in 1956. From this marriage four children were born: three sons, Johan [Johannes Andries] (1958) (married with three sons), Tienie [Josephus Marthinus] (1962) and Thomas [Johannes Thomas] (1964) and a daughter, Trudy [Gertrude Anna Susanna] (1959) (married two sons). Thomas was tragically killed in 1982 when he was 19 years old having just completed his 1st year of studies in Architecture. ____________________________ The obituary of Johan de Ridder that appeared in a publication of the North-West University. Bekende argitek, met voetspore op NWU-Puk, oorlede Een van Suid-Afrika se voorste argitekte en 'n gerespekteerde persoonlikheid in Afrikaanse kultuurkringe, Johan de Ridder (86), is onlangs in Pretoria oorlede. Hy het op sy dag van die land se bekendste geboue ontwerp en het ook sy voetspore op die Potchefstroomkampus van die Noordwes-Universiteit gelaat. Hy het die ontwerp van die Konservatoriumgebou behartig, asook die dierkunde-, sielkunde-, fisiology en farmasiegebou. Hy het veral bekendheid verwerf vir sy revolusionêre vernuwende aanslag in die ontwerp van kerke, waarvan hy sowat 35 in sy loopbaan gedoen het. Hy het ook gespesialiseer in die restourasie van monumente en ou geboue. Onder sy projekte was die vier huise van Paul Kruger op sy plaas Boekenhoutfontein naby Rustenburg en die Uniegebou. De Ridder het ook restourasieprojekte in Potchefstroom behartig waaronder die huis van President MW Pretorius en die Totiushuis. Benewens sy rol as argitek was hy ook bekend in kultuurkringe en 'n voorvegter vir die regte van Afrikaans. De Ridder is op 29 Januarie vanjaar oorlede en is in Pretoria ter ruste gelê. Translation: Well-known architect, with footprints at NWU-Puk, passed away One of South Africa's leading architects and a respected personality in Afrikaans cultural circles, Johan de Ridder (86), died recently in Pretoria. He designed some of the country's most famous buildings in his day and also left his footprints on the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University. He oversaw the design of the Conservatory building, as well as the zoology, psychology, physiology and pharmacy buildings. He gained particular fame for his revolutionary innovative approach to the design of churches, of which he did around 35 in his career. He also specialized in the restoration of monuments and old buildings. Among his projects were the four houses of Paul Kruger on his farm Boekenhoutfontein near Rustenburg and the Union Buildings. De Ridder also managed restoration projects in Potchefstroom including the house of President MW Pretorius and the Totius house. In addition to his role as an architect, he was also known in cultural circles and a champion for the rights of Afrikaans. De Ridder died on 29 January this year and was laid to rest in Pretoria. Submitted by Lennie Gouws. There is also an entry for Johan de Ridder in Wikipedia. List of projects With photographs With notes
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