F E AT U R E : F I R S T WO M A N A R C H I T E C T
A very modern influence GERTRUIDA BRINKMAN, née Siemerink, (BArch 1932), was one of the early women architects to qualify from Wits. She was born in Pretoria, and her work was influenced by Arthur Stanley Furner, a full-time senior lecturer at the Wits School of Architecture and editor of the South African Architectural Record, who introduced Modern Architecture to his students. Brinkman’s work is often characterised by the vertical expression of staircases, the sophisticated detailing of handrails and thresholds, and the unique design of the wrought iron work of boundary fences and entrance gates. She designed House Stockelbach, which is one of the significant examples of Early Modern Architecture in Port Elizabeth. Today it is the GFI Art Gallery surrounded by the Baakens Valley and the historical St George’s Park. Source: http://artefacts.co.za/main/Buildings/archframes.php?archid=2054 R I G H T: T H E H O U S E , K NOW N AS "RIDGEWOOD", WAS DESIGNED FOR THE THEN MANAGING DIRECTOR OF F O R D M O T O R C O M PA N Y, AF STOCKELBACH, BELOW: DETAIL OF GARDEN WALL Images: Gerald Humphrey
Apr il 2022 47
