Consider the Corry Tendeloobrug. This bridge is more than just concrete and steel. It is a symbol of progress and recognition. The Corry Tendeloobrug stands in Amsterdam Nieuw-West. It carries the Johan Huizingalaan over a canal. The canal runs parallel to the Aletta Jacobslaan and Louwesweg.
This area south of the Slotervaart was developing in the 1950s. The Corry Tendeloobrug was built in 1959 on dry land. It was a sandy plain with temporary roads then. The Slotervaartziekenhuis later became MC Slotervaart. It was built much later in the mid-1970s.
Dick Slebos of the Dienst der Publieke Werken designed the Corry Tendeloobrug. He drew inspiration from other bridges. Slebos created a modern concrete version. The Corry Tendeloobrug shares similarities with Jo van der Mey’s Waalseilandbrug. Both have robust balustrades over triangular passages. Unlike the Waalseilandbrug, the Corry Tendeloobrug is a hybrid. It blends elements of a bridge and a culvert bridge. Reliefs adorn the balustrades on the water side. The balustrades merge into the canal bank on the south side. They stop abruptly on the north side.
For years, the bridge was simply known as brug 713. In 2016, the city asked residents for name suggestions. A proposal to name it after Corry Tendeloo came earlier in 2015. Corry Tendeloo was a politician and advocate for women’s rights. The city approved the name in July 2016. It was officially recorded in the Basisregistraties Adressen en Gebouwen.
Corry Tendeloo was born Nancy Sophie Cornélie Tendeloo. She lived from 1897 to 1956. She was a Dutch lawyer and feminist. She served in the House of Representatives. She fought for women’s rights issues.
Lilianne Ploumen passes the Corry Tendeloobrug and thanks her. Tendeloo did the groundwork for equal rights law. The bridge’s name recognizes her contribution. It reminds us of the ongoing struggle for equality. The Corry Tendeloobrug is more than passage. It’s a tribute to a champion of women’s rights.