Contact Artefacts please if you have any comments or more information regarding this record.	Menu Home Upfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon		House Moerdyk Tshwane (Pretoria), Gauteng Gerard Leendert Pieter MOERDYK: Architect

Date: c1926 Type: Homestead Status: Extant Street: 274 Pomona Street   Click to view large map Coordinates: 25°45'47.33" S 28°12'13.78" E Alt: 1397m

See more photographs House Moerdyk fades into the background as yet another home. It is when one stops and looks at it that you realise it holds something special. From the outside the home appears large but does not impose. Once you enter you discover that it comprises many rooms and spaces, one purpose per room, almost void of any multifunctional areas, often the norm in today's lifestyle houses. This multitude of spaces makes for one of greater intimacy with great effect. A slow wander through these intimate spaces leads to the realization and appreciation of the fine intricacies and level of detailing of each room - from specific patterned wooden flooring to chamfered corners where walls meet, each detail considered with care, almost overly so. There are decorative features around each corner, as was common in the approach of the Arts-and-Crafts movement, which this design emulates. Evident in Gerard Moerdyk’s home is the inclusion of a long, wooden church-styled bench adjacent a picture window that reflects his engagement in the design of many churches. He synthesizes the design of his home by, for instance, repeating the patterning at the top of the window frame with that of the display-case windows and the dining room chairs. It is a home of intimacy and comfort. ADDITIONAL HISTORY AND FACTS The stone that was used in the masonry work of the home came from the quarry that once existed in the Hillcrest area within Pretoria. The granite used to pave the area in front of the front door was excess granite from the Voortrekker Monument that was left over after its construction. The pattern that is formed from the granite is a cross of which one of its limbs forms the main axis that flows through the home. Every gable on the roof differs from the other. The dining room contains niches on each of the four corners. Within these niches sit portrait busts of four important Afrikaner leaders and influencers within history, that include Pres Paul Kruger. A few years after Moerdyk’s death, the house was sold. It is only recently, within the last 20 years, that the house was bought back into the family bloodline and currently sits under the ownership of the grandchild of Gerard Moerdyk, who, along with his family, has been living in the house for the past 10 years. (Based on text from Eben Wagner's FB page, July 2021) It was declared a National Monument and is now a Provincial Heritage Site.