And that is why he has advice for the people of Amsterdam. “Just rest and be patient. It will be fine.” And this has been achieved in Amstelveen, partly thanks to restoration architect Cor Bouwstra. He was involved in several projects involving the restoration of a church after a fire.
Walls
According to him, there is hope for the Vondelkerk, as long as the walls remain standing. “Masonry can take quite a beating,” says Bouwstra. “We have experienced many fires and have often rebuilt after fire, at least a dozen times. If the masonry is in place and you put the hood back on and the stained glass is properly installed again, you will have the image back quite quickly.”
After the fire, a lot of work was done immediately to restore the Urbanus Church. Volunteers from the Friends of the Bovenkerkse Urbanus Foundation have raised more than a million euros in four years for the rebuilding of the burned down church. 4.5 years after the fire, everything was as good as finished and the church opened again.