Tetterode Unlocked #3 Secure, Maintain, Sustain

Tetterode Unlocked is our four-part podcast series on Woonwerkpand Tetterode, organised for the occasion of Open Monumentdag

Tetterode is a former factory that produced typefaces before it was squatted in 1981, then subsequently legalised in 1986, at the same time as being purchased by the municipality. Shortly after that, ownership passed to the housing corporation Het Oosten. However, the Tetterodians were able to secure a rather remarkable lease arrangement with Stadgenoot in which they have complete control over the inner structure and workings of the building, while Stadgenoot maintains control over the shell.

Over the four episodes, tetatet host Charlie Clemoes explores some of the reasons for and unique consequences of this arrangement, through interview with a few experienced members of the Tetterode community, namely architect Mikel van Gelderen, artist and member of the bouwcomissie Chris Baaten and activist Rens den Hollander. The series also draws heavily on Charlie’s engagement with the book Zeggenschap Zonder Bezit (control without ownership), a kind of chronicle of the building and its inhabitants, published in 2019 and composed of essays written by various residents and other people associated with the building (e.g. politicians, academics, the head of Stadgenoot, but also people who grew up in the building, and some of the people who were there when it first got squatted.

In this third episode, we discuss how Tetterode has survived all of these years thanks to great effort that Tetrodes inhabitants have placed on securing, maintaining and sustaining it, something which will continue to be important into the future. The episode features an interview with Chris Baaten and excerpts from the essays of Ronal van Tienhoven and Teun Stekelenburg.