Dudok's Town Hall

The current Town Hall became seen as the most important building from Dudok. Hilversum had grown a great deal and needed a new town hall.

Dudok made sure that everything was in alignment. He took account not only of the building, but of the complete outfitting of it as well: the furniture, the carpets, and the walls. The Town Hall is built according to the principles of the New Construction. It must be functional. Everything was coordinated, down to the ink sets and ashtrays. The W.H. Gispen firm from Rotterdam was commissioned to produce the ashtrays and ink sets. Finally it was ready. On 14 July 1931, the Queen's Commissioner of the North-Holland province opened the city hall. Everything is in perfect harmony. The unusual horizontal accent is emphasized by the long, slender stones designed especially for the building, the shadow gap, and the lack of unsightly storm drains. The latter are neatly concealed behind the masonry.

Nature was important for Dudok, and it played a great role in all his designs. That's the reason for the great variety of trees in Hilversum that he had planted. The Town Hall was completely restored from 1989 to 1996 and brought back to its original state. The Dudok Center can be accessed via the former service entrance on the east side. There are tours, including tower climbing on Friday and Sunday afternoons and for groups by appointment.

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