Farewell party at Lola Buitenpost. The neighborhood breeding ground must make way for housing. Image Joris van Gennip
The twins Wander and Zaha (12) dash through the building with their friends. “Ten years ago they went to daycare here,” says their father Arjan van Ruyven. But the Partou daycare center ceased to exist, and the ground-floor commercial space – owned by the municipality – was converted into anti-squat homes.
“That roof over the head is of course nice for the people who live there, but anti-squat houses do nothing for the neighborhood,” says Van Ruyven. “Then the idea arose to turn it into a breeding ground that would benefit the G and E neighborhood.”
Architect Van Ruyven and his girlfriend, children’s book author and coach Martine van der Horn, put their shoulders to the wheel. They received help from the municipality and the Vacancy Solvers Amsterdam (Lola), after which Lola Buitenpost was founded in 2019.
“It was a great place to settle,” says Norman van Gom of Radio MART, which stands for Multicolored Amsterdam Radio and Television. “We have always been able to hold our broadcasts there very well.”
Other initiatives that were housed there: Elixer restaurant, the Bijlmer cinema and G-buurt Moving Forward, which focuses on activities for children. There was also a repair café, for repairing broken electronics, and a sewing workshop. You could also go there for neighborhood drinks or children’s parties.
Unity sausage
From next week that will all be a thing of the past; the building is being demolished. In the area, the land is even being prepared for construction. Trees have been cleared and large bags of sand are ready to raise the ground. The fact that Lola Buitenpost had to make way for housing was the deal that was made with the municipality when it was founded.
“But still, it is a great shame that this is going away,” says Van Ruyven. “In a city there must also be room for people to mess around and experiment. It prevents uniformity and is good for diversity. That’s why I think it’s a shame that a similar sanctuary like De Ceuvel in North is also disappearing.” The same applies to the Havenstraat site in South.
Van Ruyven moved from Oud-West to Zuidoost in 2010. This had to do with the desire for something new, the green environment for his two children and the affordability of a spacious home. “The G and E neighborhood had a bad name about twenty years ago, but it is very safe here,” says Van Ruyven. “I lived in Nicaragua for two years, so I was used to the street culture that you also see in Zuidoost.”
Van Ruyven and his family are not the only white residents who moved from ‘the city’ to Zuidoost. “We see them more and more,” says Van Gom (Radio Mart). “It looks like an invasion, Southeast is becoming whiter. I am fine with it. It sometimes takes some getting used to, but it mixes quite well.”
Child friendly
The main reason for the arrival of new residents is the relative affordability of larger homes. “And the green, child-friendly environment, I think,” says Van Gom.
Due to the housing shortage, Van Gom understands that the sanctuary is being destroyed. “That’s bad news for our studio, but I’m hopeful that we can find accommodation in West,” he says. “Although we leave here with pain in our hearts. We might be off the air for a month.”
Initiators Arjan van Ruyven and Norman van Gom of Radio Mart.Beeld Joris van Gennip
The other users of the sanctuary are all looking for their own solutions. This is how Elixer continues in East. G-Buurt Moving Forward is still looking for new accommodation.
Van Ruyven has developed a taste for developing breeding grounds. He is currently investigating whether something similar to Lola Buitenpost can be established on Annie Romeinplein, a stone’s throw from Lola Buitenpost. “It requires a lot of talking and dexterity with bureaucracy, but if the neighborhood and the municipality get behind it again, it might work.”
Also read
2023-09-16 20:28:04
#creative #breeding #ground #construction #Lola #Buitenpost #Zuidoost #closes
