Johannahuis Wassenaar
THE ABANDONED CARE HOME IN THE NETHERLANDS
‘Johannahuis’ was a home for the elderly in Wassenaar, built in 1930 by architect S. de Clercq. The home was a symmetrical building with four wings around an inner garden.
The initial design from 1929 provided for 43 residents and 2 service rooms. It was built on the historic country park ‘Rust en Vreugd’ for the benefit of the regents of the Wilhelmina-Alida Foundation. Already in 1933 the building was enlarged with an extra floor at the back. In 1941 the building was reconstructed due to the damage it experienced during the war.
In 1983 another wing was added to the villa, this was unfortunately ruining the architectural symmetry. The complex included both 27 apartments with one bedroom and 15 two bedrooms apartments. With a total of five spare homes and two guest rooms, it housed a total of 66 people.
At the end of 2017 the building was reconverted into luxury lofts. They were sold for 2.5 million euros each. In the redevelopment, the original spacious entrance hall was restored to its former glory. I visited the ‘Johannahuis’ in 2015. Follow this link for more abandoned care homes.
