This view down Stratumsedijk fuses the old village of Stratum and the modern city of Eindhoven—from 19th century villas to chic contemporary condos. 

When this postcard was published around 1907, Stratum was technically still an independent town on the other side of the Dommel River—Eindhoven officially annexed it in 1920. The area—once the site of the medieval Stratumse Watermill and Stratumse Poort gate into Eindhoven—developed into a fashionable villa district in the 1800s, but over the last few decades Stratumsedijk turned into a bit of extension of Stratumseind, Eindhoven’s nightlife district, particularly known for its gay bars.

Postcard on top: row of colorful two story buildings on a road with a bridge. Photo on the bottom: two of the small buildings still there, a big tower in the distance, big apartment building on the right, two cyclists.
~1907 postcard | 2023 photo

So, what’s changed? Well, half of the buildings on Stratumsedijk—the two on the left, Stratumsedijk 6 and Stratumsedijk 4 are still there, but the furthest one was demolished for a neat expressionist building in the 1920s. Obviously the right side of the block is gone, mostly replaced by a 1970s apartment building, De Bleek. It’s subtle, but the bridge over the Dommel has also been swapped out for a more modern one in a similarly traditionalist style, designed by J.A. van der Laan and completed in 1955. This is an unusual one where it looks like the street might even be a bit narrower than it was in the early 1900s.

…oh, and the tower! The Vesteda Toren, an absurdly slender flatiron condo tower, opened in 2006. Designed by Jo Coenen & Co Architekten, it’s the 4th tallest building in Eindhoven and won the Association of Dutch Architectural Firms Building of the Year in 2007.

Postcard vs. Photo, Stratumsedijk No, 6 | 1977, Loek Tangel, Wikimedia Commons | 2013, Wikimedia Commons | Bakery help wanted, 1964 | A. Coppens bakery wins a prize, 1958 | Fransen ad, 1948 | exhibition in the building, 1958 | Fransen ad, 1964

Stratumsedijk Number 6, built in 1860 in an eclectic historicist style, spent decades as a bakery—specifically A. Coppens—and also served as the main office for medical device company Fransen Bosman, a diabetes management company that (surprisingly) still exists as an independent firm today, although they dropped the Fransen. With its arched gable and decorative plasterwork, Stratumsedijk No. 6 is an Eindhoven municipal monument.

1977, Loek Tangel, Wikimedia Commons | 1999, IJsbrand Heins, Wikimedia Commons | 1999, IJsbrand Heins, Wikimedia Commons | 2009, Mark Bergsma, Wikimedia Commons | 1947 furniture showroom ad | 1952 realtor ad | 1952 furniture showroom ad | 1978 realtor office ad

Forty years younger and a Rijksmonument (so with a national conservation status, rather than a municipal one), Stratumsedijk Number 4 is like a slightly more accomplished younger sibling to No. 6. Built between 1902 and 1906, also in an eclectic historicist style, it was a furniture showroom in the 1950s for NVH Pander & Son as well as an office of a real estate company, J.G. van der Meeren.

~1907 postcard | 2013, Ben Bender, Wikimedia Commons

Replacing a big old country mansion—once home to a Mayor of Eindhoven (Jan Smitz)—Stratumsedijk Number 2 is a huge improvement. Look at this! Designed by Franciscus Johannes Wolters and completed in 1927, it's a nifty little example of the New Hague School of Expressionism—stripped down, commercially-oriented, and a hint of Frank Lloyd Wright horizontality. Built as an accountant's office (and home, I think), today it serves as the museum cafe for Eindhoven's Van Abbemuseum.

Eindhoven - Stratumsedijk

Postcard detail on the left, three small buildings and a bridge. Photo on the right, two of the buildings demolished.
~1907 vs. 2023

On the Stratum side of the bridge, the first house was (yet another) stately 19th century villa, demolished in 1957. The apartment building that replaced it, De Bleek, was completed in 1979. The building just to the north of the bridge on Stratumseind was also demolished, but the white building next door is still there. Eindhoven replaced the aging bridge over the little Dommel River in 1955—you can see the difference in the ironwork.

Postcard vs. photo | 2010, Wikimedia Commons | 2010, Wikimedia Commons | Vesteda Tower under construction, 2005, Wikimedia Commons

Production Files

Further reading:

Vestedatoren | Eindhoven | JCAU
Design – completion: 2000–2006 Design: Apartment builing Location: Smalle haven, Eindhoven Client: Vesteda Project in collaboration with Van Straten Real Estate Team: Jo Coenen | Geert Coenen | Mike Pfisterer Beauty as a beacon Approaching Eindhoven’s centre, this tall and narrow tower announces the heart of the city like a beacon. That is why…
JCAU
De Stratumse Watermolen - BHIC
BHICLog in met je gegevens
Remains of medieval port found in Eindhoven
Archaeologists found remains of the medieval Stratumse Poort on the small square of Stratumseind in Eindhoven. They discovered what they believe is the remains of a gate wall, and the facing and posts of a bridge over the city canal, the city of Eindhoven announced. The municipality of Eindhoven commissioned the BODAC researchers to dig a archaeological test trench on Stratumseind, because the place is known to have a city gate from the Middle Ages. The gate stood at a bridge over the city canal next to the river Dommel, and secured access to the city.
NL TimesNL Times
Vesteda Toren BNA Gebouw van het jaar 2007 – Archined
Architectuur, stedenbouw en landschapsarchitectuur. Kritisch, onafhankelijk & community based. Vat de tijdgeest voorbij de waan van de dag en volgt rode draden.
ArchinedBron: BNA