Jan Jaarsma.
Since 1936, a post office has been established in the building at 337 Fahrenheitstraat. Few will know that this complex was built in 1906 for the hearth and stove factory of Jan Jaarsma. The building, designed by architect D. Oosthoek, then stood on the outskirts of the city. In a photograph from 1913, the chimney behind it shows that this stylishly designed building housed a real factory.
From smithy to fireplace factory
Jan Jaarsma was born in Friesland in 1843. As an unemployed architect, he gained some years of work experience in the stove factory of his brother E.M. After a ‘cooling off period’ of 10 years, Jan started his own smithy and factory of filling fireplaces at N.W. Buitensingel in The Hague around 1895. Jan died in 1901, his son Nicolaas Heye (1879) succeeded him. Under his leadership, the building was built on the Fahrenheitstraat and involved in 1906. In addition to a large machine room, and a paint and muffle installation, there was a showroom, where one could admire the various models.
production
The design of the stoves was done in-house: “First the model is modeled, then modeled in wood or plaster, then in a white soft metal, which is finished by an artful hand with knife and chisel, as if it were a sculpture”. Then models were made for the different parts. The castings were carried out by the Ulft iron foundry Diepenbrock and Reigers, the DRU. The grinding, polishing and further finishing of the castings took place in the factory halls at Fahrenheitstraat. After polishing, lacquering followed, “one of the operations that certainly requires the most care”. After all parts were oiled and enamelled once again, the stove could be put together: “.. carefully and meticulously, the screws, the sliders and flaps in the pot, the sheet-metal cover around them, the shiny copper work on them.” In 1913, 90 people per week were produced with 90 staff members. The fireplaces found their destination at home and abroad.
Trade name
In 1930 the firm was converted into an NV with a registered capital of NLG 1,000,000. 300 shares of ƒ1,000 were issued, the directors Nicolaas Heye Jaarsma and Rudolf Teller each received half. In 1936 the DRU took over Jan Jaarsma. Nicolaas Heye became a member of the Supervisory Board at DRU and remained so until his death in 1953. The trade name Jan Jaarsma, Gas-o-Jaarsma and Gasojaar remained in use for fires. In 1948 the name officially changed to DRU-Jaarsma.
Quality
The fireplaces from the beginning of the twentieth century were traditionally designed and richly decorated with copperware. They got names like Hestia, Jupiter, Eros, Mars and Amor. In later years the design became tighter and these mythological names disappeared. The Cycle fireplace was produced from the twenties. With the Jan series they were taken back to the name of the founder. These stoves remained in production until the fifties, the different types were simply numbered in ascending order. In addition to coal fires, gas stoves were also produced and also stoves for oil fires. The quality was maintained unabated, there was warning against counterfeiting, advertised with ‘traditionally Jan Jaarsma’ and ‘a generation of Haardenfabricage does not say everything, but …’ and ‘Choose with knowledge, choose Jan Jaarsma’.
The building on the Fahrenheitstraat was converted into post office after thirty years of producing stoves. The entrance gate was killed here. Nevertheless, both the appearance and the history make it a property worth protecting.
Jannie Havelaar
Thanks to:
Mrs. M. van Vlijmen, Dutch Kachelmuseum, Alkmaar P. van Toor, Stichting Nederlands IJzermuseum, Ulft
Sources:
Gelders archive, Arnhem
DRU archive.
Addressbook of The Hague
National archive
Trade register Chamber of Commerce and factories, The Hague
The Hague as an industrial city, The Hague 1913 K. Burgundies (eds.)
Fireproof and energetic, 250 years DRU, 1754-2004, Duiven 2004. W. Alings jr. And H.N. Sierman
Fire as friend, One hundred years E.M. Jaarsma, 1868-1968, Hilversum 1968
Model Fortuna; Photo Annemiek Buijs – Bakx
Bron: Martin van Wallenburg
Beeklaan/ Loosduinseweg
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Copernicusstraat/ Beeklaan
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Regentesselaan/ de Ghijnstraat
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Regentesseplein
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