A fitting independence gift

As Indonesia celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Dutch business community is presenting a beautiful gift. A unique 18th century monument in the old part of Jakarta, which until recently housed the National Archives, has been renovated. It was the residence of Reinier de Klerk (1710-1780), a prominent merchant of the Dutch-East Indies Company (VOC), who later became governor general of the Dutch East-Indies.

On the six-lane Jalan Gadjah Mada, buses and automobiles generate a tremendous cacophony riding from Medan Merdeka area to downtown Jakarta. On the opposite side of the road, separated by a narrow canal, is Jalan Hayam Wuruk which is equally heavy with traffic. Alongside the street, the buildings form a mixture of hotels, banks typical of the last days of the colonial era, timeless edifices behind makeshift walls superimposed with neon- light advertisement boards and hyper-modern high-rise buildings. Caution for passersby without a motor vehicle. Sidewalks do not function here, pedestrians are exposed to speeding vehicles and easily get out of breath as a result of narrow escapes.

The canal, formerly called Molenvliet, links Kota (the historic old city of Batavia) with Weltevreden with its rustic ambience. A black and white picture of 1778 by Johannes Rach, a cannon guard who had artistic blood in his veins, shows boats being punted along the canal, coaches, a woman taking a walk under an umbrella. In the background, half hidden behind a monumental iron gate, a residence from the 18th century. The text beautifully written on the picture reads : "A View of the Residence at Moolevlied, property of the honorable Reinier de Klerk".

It is incredible. There is still an iron gate at 111 Jalan Gadjah Mada, although it looks simpler than the one on Rach's picture. Behind the gate there is a wide and expansive yard, and in the center is a wall that looks the same as the protruding roof. The main door no longer shows baroque ornaments like the ones in the picture and the thirteen windows at the front have now been covered with blinds. It is the same house. At the gate, there is the name Arsip Nasional (National Archives) and in front of the main door there is a flagpole with the Red and White flag hoisted at the top. The residence of the prominent merchant of the East-Indian Company, general adviser and later on governor general of the Dutch-East Indies, Reinier de Klerk, has held its own during the past two and a half centuries.

When in 1925 this building was arranged to store the archives of the Dutch-East Indies government, it underwent a meticulous restoration. The neo-Grecian verandah with Doric pillars added in the 19th century was pulled down. The wall was peeled off and it was as much as possible restored to its original condition of the 18th century. The architect then in charge of planting trees in Batavia reconstructed the front yard, partly based on Rach's pictures. Except for the typically East-Indian roof, with its wide protruding part as an adaptation to sunshine and the rainy season in the tropics, this closed Dutch residence which has been provided with blinds, may well be located on banks of the Vecht. The wide front yard distances the house from street noises. Whoever enters this elegant building feels he has left the 20th century for a while.

Through the front door, framed by two pillars topped with crowns and ornamental illumination, we enter the hall and the drawing room, separated by two pillars and surrounded by six rooms on the side. Along the lower part of the wall of the hall we see two rows of inlaid delftware floor tiles with pictures from the Bible especially ordered from China at that time. All window and door frames, and the stairs too, in conformity with Chinese tradition, have been painted red and gold. The wooden stairs on the left of the hall, decorated with beautiful engraved ornaments, lead us to the first floor where the De Klerk's had their private rooms. The teakwood spacious segments of the floor varnished in 1760 still look in tact. Also, on the "owl" floor, nothing has changed during two centuries. The roof construction is connected with pegs, pillars and holes; not a single piece of iron was used. The factory or VOC's main carpenters made the ground plans and introduced a number of Dutch elements, such as sliding windows and blinds, but construction workers were mostly Chinese.

Reinier de Klerk ordered the construction of this residence, which according to Rach was located "a quarter of an hour south of Batavia" in 1760, so that from time to time he could take a rest leaving his house in town on the busy Kali Besar. De Klerk had a brilliant career in the colony. He was born in Middelburg in 1710 and as an adolescent already sailed as a third shipguard to the East Indies. Before his 20th birthday he had sailed twice around the world. In 1730 he left as a junior navigator in the service of the VOC to the East Indies. It was for good. The young man from Zeeland attracted attention, both on land and at sea, because of his courage and his military insight, and after some time he was entrusted with governmental functions. He subsequently became Regent in Lampung, Chief of Surabaya, Assistant for the east coastal area of the Java Sea and Governor of Banda. In 1755, he became Counselor Extraordinary and in 1763 Counselor General for the East Indies, one of the highest governmental functions in the colony. Only toward the end of his life, in his own words "like mustard after the meal" (meaning "to come a day after the fair"), was he appointed Governor General. He was then 67 years old, one of the oldest citizens of the colony. He was to fill the position for three years. He died in 1780.

During the administration of his predecessors Van der Parra and Van Riemsdijk, VOC started to decline and the old De Klerk could not do much to stop it. So, he conducted trade for himself, outside the VOC. At the back of his residence, on Kali Krukut, he had his own warehouses. De Klerk had a great interest in culture. Under his leadership the "Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen" (the Batavia Association of Arts and Sciences) was established on April 24, 1778, with J.C.M. Radermacher, Counselor General of the Indies and husband of De Klerk's stepdaughter, as the enthusiastic promoter.

After De Klerk's widow died in 1785, the house on Molenvliet was auctioned and bought by Johannes Siberg. When he was appointed Governor General in 1801, the house became the Governor General's residence again. Until 1844, De Klerk's house still had well-to-do occupants. At that time, the private sector of the Batavia community was not capable anymore of owning such a house. The house was sold to the Deacon of the Reformed Church (Protestant), who used it as an orphanage. Decline set in: funds were limited and maintenance was almost non-existent. In 1899, the deacon relinquished the building which had in the meantime become decrepit due to lack of funds and was threatened to be pulled down.

The Batavia Association circle sounded the alarm and the Dutch East-Indies government felt called upon to purchase the De Klerk house. From 1900 to 1925, the building housed the Mining Agency and the Land Measurement Office. It was then restored and made into the State Archives (Landsarchief).

The State Archives as the direct successor of Landsarchief moved to its fully air-conditioned new building in South Jakarta in 1991. Here, the old manuscripts are better preserved against the tropical climate. Since then, De Klerk's house has been empty. Three years ago Cor Passchier, an architect from Den Bos, solicited attention through the KNOB bulletin for the fate of the residence. "This building is dilapidated," he wrote; "It is a disaster or an accelerated declining process triggered by the penetration of humidity in the building. The water disposal from the yards is not adequate and there are often floods in the rainy season." It is true. The annexes at the back, the servants' quarters in olden times, which were expanded in this century to form a closed square occupying the back yard, are submerged as soon as the first big rain falls.

Last year a number of Dutch people working in Jakarta took the initiative to renovate it and make it into a gift on the occasion of Indonesia's 50th anniversary on August 17, 1995. Cultural attache Max Gitz had requested their attention for the condition of De Klerk's residence, and so the plan for restoration was born. Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono, who was responsible for the building, responded that the Indonesian government would gladly receive such a gift. When a number of big Dutch companies in Indonesia also gave a positive response, the initiators assigned architect Cor Passchier and his colleagues in Jakarta, Han Awal and Budi Lim, to conduct a feasibility study and a budget cost estimate. Restoration and renovation would require around 5.2 million guilders, and the amount was to be collected by Dutch business circles. The initiators, who for the purpose joined the National Committee for Gifts, started looking for sponsors and the first 1.5 million was ascertained.

Passchier said: "This assignment is very satisfactory, because this kind of quality is nearly not found anymore. Our task is to restore the building into a complete and unique form, not only according to its sketch, but also in the details, like the wood carvings. All that has to be entirely cleaned, all paint has to be peeled, but construction-wise, nothing needs to be done to the main building. We will clean it, make repairs and improvements, into all details, such as the right locks. The annexes need more profound renovations. We want to restore the old servants' quarters to their original state as best as possible, dispose of the additional buildings and at the side of the yard demolish the concrete wall that covers the former open verandah. Lastly, but not less importantly, it is necessary to find a solution for the drainage problem."

If everything goes according to plan, the restored complex will in future have the function of an archives museum, a place for the exhibition of choice objects from the collection of the National Archives and for explanations on the work method of the agency. The management will be entrusted to an Indonesian foundation that will rent part of the renovated additional buildings to an exclusive restaurant and various boutiques. Thus, this historic residence will not only attract tourists, but it will provide for the funds to ensure its further maintenance.

This article by Dirk J. Vlasblom is a translation from the Indonesian edition of Holland Horizon.