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MenuHomeUpfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon | VOORVELT, Antonius (Anton) Johannes CornelisBorn: 1906 10 19Died: 1985 ArchitectSACA:Reg No: 926 Year registered: 1945 | |||||||||||||
SpecQual (Rand), MIA, TIA. VOORVELT was born into a Catholic family in Schoten near Haarlem in 1906, where his father was director of Public Works. He trained as a carpenter and became an architect by practice in various offices. 12 He was still in his twenties when he designed the parish church Onze Lieve Vrouw van Zeven Smarten in Schoten (Haarlem) in collaboration with GJM Simons. Now known as the Maria Church, this monumental Romanesque Revival basilica (completed 1936) is enlivened by artwork, including stained glass windows by Joep Nicolas. By 1935, work was so scarce in the Netherlands that Anton's brother Theo set out from Haarlem for South Africa by bicycle in search of new prospects. En-route, he opted to settle in Kenya. Anton visited Theo soon afterwards. Here he learnt that the South African Railways and Harbours (SAR and H) were hiring, and by 1937 VOORVELT was employed in its Johannesburg office. In that same year (13 February) he married Cornelia Laurinna Maria Van Waard in Johannesburg, South Africa (Family Search). He remained in the SAR and H office, designing, inter alia, the Pretoria Station gardens. During WW2 he was drafted to serve in the Princess Irene Brigade. After his discharge, Voorvelt took the Special Qualifying Exam at the University of the Witwatersrand to establish himself as an independent architect in Johannesburg. He worked alone, but completed large complicated projects. The Catholic Church was his most important client. Although distanced from The Netherlands, he designed an altar in Bolsward, Netherlands (1953), where another of his brothers served as a priest and school director. Voorvelt designed churches and chapels, seminaries, and schools, including the Catholic Centre (1954) and St Benedict's College (1957), both in Johannesburg and an education building in Roma (now National University of Lesotho). He also worked for other denominations and private clients (Royal Court, 1949). For government he designed the Daeraad School, Wolmaransstad, and the Keetmanshoop Primary School (Namibia), Johannesburg, as well as the Keetmanshoop State Hospital (Namibia). In 1959 and again in 1969 he is recorded as of address 9 Valerie Crescent, Bagleyston, Johannesburg. In 1961 he established himself as a stained-glass artist. His glass-art can be found in schools and churches throughout South Africa. VOORVELT passed away in Maastricht while visiting the Netherlands in 1985. (Clarke and Kuipers in Clarke, Fisher and Kuipers 2021:69-70). List of projects With photographs With notes
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