A fitting independence gift

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.