Egbert Reitsma

Egbert Reitsma (Ulrum 1892 – Glimmen 1976). After his first internships with his father and lessons from the Groningen architect L. Drewes, Reitsma worked with the Hilversum architect and artist Jacob London and from 1917 until 1920 with the eminent Rotterdam architect Willem Kromhout, who recognized his great talent. Kromhout’s visionary architecture stimulated Reitsma to develop his own unique variant of architectural expressionism, as in his first big design, the Reformed Church in Kollum (1925). From 1922 until 1938 he was a member of ‘De Ploeg’ [The Plow, an artistic collective] i.a. as Vice-President (1922) and Secretary (1922-1923). Other expressionistic designs are, amongst others, the Parklaankerk, Groningen (1926, demolished 1989); Reformed churches in Appingedam (1927), Renkum (1927), Weesp (1928, burned down 1968) and, as the high point in his career, Andijk (1930). More restrained are the Pelikaankerk, Leeuwarden (1931) and the Noorderkerk, Bedum (1937). An important, non-ecclesiastic building is the Noorder Sanatorium with a director’s residence in Zuidlaren (1935).