The special school building at the market place in Makkum was originally built in 1913 as a school with two classrooms in Tjerkwerd. In 1927 there was no meaningful destination for this school anymore and In 1934 the school was ordered abolished by Gedeputeerde Staten against the will of parents and city council. Gerben Draaier, sexton of the Dutch Reformed Church in Tjerkwerd, demolished the school and rebuilt it in Makkum as an association building on the Diakonie site (the church’s poor and sick care). That is why it seems as if the entire building is made of used material. Until approximately 2012 it served as an association building for large meetings, weddings, Sinterklaas, etc. During the war, people in hiding were housed there. Around 2005, the building, then called “Ons Gebouw”, was sold. The new owner was a slum landlord who rented out the property, after which there was virtually no maintenance on it for seven years. It included a thrift store and a hemp plantation in the attic.
In 2012 Dirk Jacob Hamoen bought the building and had it completely refurbished and, where necessary, restored. The original tin ceiling also reappeared during that restoration. That is special. Only fourteen tin ceilings are known in Friesland, of which those from the period 1850-1940 are extremely rare (source: Fryslân Historisch Tijdschrift 2017, no. 6, p. 12).
The tin ceiling of the NVS with a view of the painting and drying area