Herman Hendrik Baanders

For instance, he would use a traditional Dutch facade such as a neck-gable, but combine it with Jugendstil elements that were considered very new and modern at that time.

[2] Baanders also designed a number of houses with shops along Leliegracht canal[2] as well as the Nederlandsche Cocaïnefabriek (1900, further expanded in 1902) which in 1910 was said to be the world's largest cocaine factory.

Baanders, the son of a weaver, was born and raised in the provincial town of Zutphen and trained as a carpenter.

While working as a carpenter in Amsterdam, he studied architecture (bouwkunde) in the evenings at the Industrieschool van de Maatschappij voor den Werkenden Stand.

In this later period, he designed villas and mansions in upscale parts of town like the suburb of Watergraafsmeer and the areas around the Vondelpark and Concertgebouw, as well as large housing blocks.

In his final years (1904–1905) he worked with Gerrit van Arkel on the Astoria building, one of the first office towers in the Netherlands.

In 1892 the offices moved to Tweede Jan van der Heydenstraat 19, a year later to Sarphatipark 125, and finally, in 1904, to Ruysdaelkade 27.