K. Bos, Architect
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APPRENTICESHIP?
I could not find information regarding any formal architectural education nor an apprenticeship. However, what I've found:
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It was not uncommon in the early 20th century for architects in the Dutch East Indies to be trained via apprenticeship rather than formal education, especially if they came from middle-class colonial families.
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There is credible evidence that Karel H. Bos apprenticed under or worked for architect Koper, one of the prominent Dutch architects in Malang during the 1920s–1930s.
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Koper was active in Malang in the 1920s and early 1930s, known for residential and civic buildings in the Indo-European architectural style.
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Karel Bos’s early architectural designs, especially in the mid-1930s, show similarities to Koper’s use of symmetry, tropical adaptation, and Deco-modernist stylings.
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Several contemporary mentions of Bos’s projects (e.g., in architectural publications or local newspapers) reference him as having trained under a “leading Malang architect”, and Koper fits that profile.
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A 1930s advertisement or listing in De Indische Courant reportedly names Karel H. Bos as part of the architectural bureau associated with Koper.
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Multiple newspaper advertisements and announcements/articles names Karel H. Bos as part of the architectural bureau, the firm of SMITS, KOPER & HOOGERBEETS. Articles also show his continued connections to the firm, including having an office in the same building, well after becoming an independent architect.
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What an Apprenticeship Likely Involved:
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In the Indies, apprenticeships were highly hands-on and included:
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Drafting and model-making
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On-site supervision of local materials and workers
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Learning climate-specific building techniques
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Interpreting and adapting European styles for tropical use
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(Source of all of the above = ChatGPT OpenAI Accessed June/July 2025)
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Architecture Firm of SMITS, KOPER & HOOGERBEETS:
Comprised of:
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ANTON SMITS (1881-1957)
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ENGEL KOPER (1885 -1944)
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JACOB HOGERBEETS (1892 -1945)
(I am trying to find more info and photos.)
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1930 PASSES FINAL EXAMS
​(Thank you to Agiesta & Ratnawati for finding and sharing this!)
Translation of above article (from Dutch):
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Exams K.E.S. Passed the final exam of construction. department:
CAREER
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When I was very young, my dad told me that my grandfather was an architect, long before I ever knew what being an architect meant.
When I grew older and understood what an architect did, I still had no idea what my grandfather had designed. Was it residential? Was it commercial? I had no clue. The only thing I ever saw was a newspaper clipping that was enclosed in protective plastic, that my dad kept in a small wooden box along with his jewelry and small personal belongings. (This newspaper ad is pictured immediately below the info about Karsten.) I have kept that ad myself for many decades.
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It wasn't until my aunt, Tante Joan, gave me a hardback book back in 2015, in which she stuck post-it notes to several different pages, that I knew what some of the commercial buildings were that he designed. The book is "Malang: Beeld van Een Stad" ("Malang: Image of a City") by A. van Schaik. Published in 1996 by Asia Maior in Purmerend, Netherlands. (The book and the page #'s are mentioned in "MORE: K. Bos in Videos, Museums & Books." While I've come to know that his biggest "claim to fame" is the "Twin Buildings", it was the Rex Theatre that grabbed my attention.)​
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Karel H. Bos worked as an independent architect in Malang from 1931 to 1942. He is recognized for his significant contributions to Malang’s architectural landscape, particularly through the adoption of the Nieuwe Bouwen (New Building) style. His notable projects include the twin buildings at the Rajabali crossroad, designed in 1936, which served as symbolic gateways to West Malang. These structures reflect the functionalist and minimalist aesthetics characteristic of the Nieuwe Bouwen movement during the Dutch colonial period.
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He is also known for his notable Art Deco work, specifically The Rex Cinema in 1940, Malang.
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Bos’s designs contribute to the understanding of the architectural evolution in Malang and reflect the broader trends of Dutch colonial architecture during that era. His work remains a point of reference for those studying the integration of European architectural styles in Indonesian contexts.
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(Source - ChatGPT Open AI accessed June 2025)
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THE KARSTEN CONNECTION
With what I've learned, I could not possibly mention my grandfather as an architect in Malang without mentioning Herman Thomas Karsten.
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Karel Bos collaborated with famed Dutch architect HERMAN THOMAS KARSTEN, including on the project of the TWIN BUILDINGS, as KARSTEN was Urban Development Advisor / City Planner for this project, and this area. (See page: "THE ARCHITECT: Architecture: Commercial.") But it doesn't stop there!
​RE: THE TWIN BUILDINGS/TOWERS: These are located in the area once known as Kajoetangan. At the time, Kajoetangan served as a key node in Malang’s urban planning by Thomas Karsten, with the towers helping orient traffic at this crossroads.
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Thomas Karsten was one of the most influential architects and urban planners in the Dutch East Indies. He was a pioneer of what became known as the "Indies" architectural style, blending European modernism with local Indonesian traditions. He was the Urban Planner with the grand vision for Malang City. His most famous contribution was the design of the prestigious new residential district, often called the Nieuwe Stadswijk or "Mountain-suburb." This included Ijen Boulevard: The centerpiece of this plan was the grand Idjen Boulevard (now Jalan Ijen), a wide, tree-lined avenue with a park-like median. Karsten meticulously laid out the street grid, the public spaces, the plot divisions, and the overall aesthetic vision for this neighborhood, intended for the wealthy European elite. (See page: "THE MAN: Personal Residences.")
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​This connection is important because the architect KAREL H. BOS "filled in the canvas" of Karsten's plans. Karel Bos was one of the most prolific and distinctive architects working in Malang during this exact period. He set up his practice just as Karsten's new city plan was being realized.
They were not partners, but contemporaries working at different scales. Karsten's visionary urban planning created the stage, and Bos, along with other architects, provided the spectacular architectural performances that brought the vision to life. Their combined efforts are why the Ijen neighborhood in Malang is considered one of the best-preserved and most beautiful examples of colonial urban planning and architecture in Southeast Asia.
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"Thomas Karsten drew the map, and Karel Bos designed the landmarks on it."
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Designing the Idjen area Villas: Wealthy clients who bought plots along Karsten's new boulevards needed architects to design their homes. Karel Bos became one of the most sought-after architects for these projects.
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A Distinct Style: While Karsten's own work often incorporated Javanese elements, Bos's signature style was a more purely European modernism—a bold fusion of Art Deco, De Stijl, and Streamline Moderne. His clean lines, geometric shapes, and dynamic curves stood out.
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Prime Examples: Bos designed numerous villas and buildings along Ijen Boulevard and its connecting streets (like Jalan Oro-oro Dowo). His own home sits at a prominent corner of this very district, serving as a prime example of his work within Karsten's master plan.
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THE DEATH OF THOMAS KARSTEN:
Karsten was arrested by the Japanese occupation in early 1942. Despite being in his early 60s, Karsten was subjected to the same harsh conditions as the younger internees, which ultimately contributed to his declining health and death.
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Thomas Karsten died in a Japanese internment camp during WW2. He died in August 1945, just around the time of Japan's surrender.
The internment camp was Banyubiru (Banjubiru) in Central Java.
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(Source: ChatGPT Open AI accesses June, July, & August 2025.)
Click button below to read a great article about Karsten, written by Edu of JAVA PRIVATE TOUR.
Check out this YOUTUBE video about the architectural works of THOMAS KARSTEN in Malang.
It also features great general colonial-era photos of Malang.
And, it shows some of the works of Karel Bos at: :19; :41; :48; 6:30; 6:43; 7:50; 7:55; 8:27
NEWSPAPER ADS & NOTICES
Translation of above article (from Dutch):
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ARCHITECTS' OFFICE K. BOS.
CONSULT OUR NEW PRICES, FINISHES, ARCHITECTURE, AND CONDITIONS BEFORE BUILDING A HOUSE CONSTRUCTION LOANS MORTGAGES
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Translation of above article (from Dutch):
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DEPOSIT for inspection at the Registry of the Court of Justice in Surbaia and at the office of
the Orphanage for 4 weeks commencing on the date of this advertisement (in the Javasche Courant).
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First and final list.
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1. Lie Njap Joe, merchant in Surabaya. (conc. credit nil%).
2. K. Bos contractor in Malang
fa. Architectenbureau K. Bos,
(conc. credit 0.1%).
3. F.J. van Hulssen merchant in Madioen (conc. credit 42%).
REVOKED due to lack of income ddo. 18-8-37.
1. E. Gaedtgens, merchant in Surabaya under the name L. Parizot & Co.
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BUSINESS OFFICES
Note: It is difficult to confirm the present day buildings, as street names as well as the numbers have changed. And, some original structures may have been demolished, or undergone radical alteration. Also, without dates, these are likely not in chronological order.
Early 1930s: Kasin Kidoel 5, Malang
Early 1932-1934: Regentsraat 24, Malang
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Early 1934-19??: Tjelaket 63, Malang
It is believed that Karel H. Bos was also the architect for this residence at Tjelaket 63, which he used at least for his office (possibly also doubled as his residence?)
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STUDIO MALANG:
PHOTOGRAPHY (& ADVERTISING) AGENCY
STUDIO MALANG: Ong Kian Bie lived/worked at Jalan Kayutangan No. 55, in Malang
It was discovered (thanks to Agiesta W. Adhitara & Ratnawati) that the advertising agency used by Karel Bos was that of ONG KIAN BIE, called "STUDIO MALANG." He helped my grandfather create an advertising design for his architectural services, as well as took most, if not all, of the photographs for my grandfather's architectural works. It is believed that they were also friends.
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Many of the books mentioned in this website that include photos of the architectural works of Karel H. Bos, cite Ong Kian Bie' STUDIO MALANG as the photographer.
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(Source for the following = ChatGPT Open AI accessed July 2025):
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Ong Kian Bie’s Role
• The historical records (including the Arsitektur di Nusantara compendium) cite Ong Kian Bie’s Studio Malang (Kayutangan No. 55) as the source of photographs documenting several Karel Bos–designed buildings in the 1930s, including:
• A villa at Jl. Guntur No. 31 (1933),
• A residence at Jl. Besar Dempo No. 2 (1934 Note: Actual date = 1941),
• A housing plus retail block at Jl. Ijen 66 and Jl. Semeru No. 2–0 (1935),
• And the Bioskop Rex (Cinema Rex) at the Alun‑Alun (1940.)
• These listings note “Sumber: Ong Kian Bie (Studio Malang Kayutangan No. 55)”—indicating that his photographic studio supplied visual records for Bos’s architectural works.
• The twin‑building complex at the Kayutangan intersection, one of Bos’s hallmark designs, is similarly documented with photos from Studio Malang, embedding Ong Kian Bie’s work as the visual chronicler of the structure.
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Historical Newspapers Cited: According to Arsitektur di Nusantara:
• De Indische Courant and Soerabaijasch Handelsblad published articles in the mid‑1930s that featured buildings designed by Karel H. G. Bos, with photographs credited to Ong Kian Bie’s Studio Malang.
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Specific mentions:
• De Indische Courant, June 23, 1934
• Soerabaijasch Handelsblad, July 7, 1934
These editions reportedly featured Bos’s housing and retail block on Jl. Semeru No. 2–0, citing Studio Malang as the photo source.
• De Indische Courant, December 18, 1939
Featured Bioskop Rex (Cinema Rex, Malang Alun‑Alun) designed by Bos, with photographic credit given to Studio Malang
​(NOTE: I searched through these 3 newspapers but was not yet able to find this specific info.)
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He is also credited as the photographer for photos of the architectural works of Karel Bos in the book, ""ARSITEKTUR DI NUSANTARA" (Obe Norbruis)"
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He (his studio) is credited with all of the 1930s photos of TAN JEWLERY STORE as well as the TWIN BUILDINGS. Photos as shared by BOEN TAN. (See page: THE ARCHITECT: Architecture: Commercial.)
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Who was Ong Kian Bie?
• Born March 1, 1907 in Malang, to a Chinese-Indonesian merchant family, Ong Khee Kiet. He became a prominent photographer, artist, designer, and advertising bureau founder, based in Studio Malang (Kayutangan No. 17.)
• After his uncle’s death in 1923, he took over the family’s Eastern Photo Studio and rebranded it “Studio Malang,” which quickly earned acclaim. His photographs were featured widely, including postcards and newspapers during the 1920s–1950s.
• He co-founded the Art and Camera Club (ACC) in 1955 (later evolving into Malang Photo Club), promoting photography as art in the region.
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Ong Kian Bie’s Advertising Contributions
While specific historical adverts are not extensively preserved online, records confirm:
1. He ran an advertising bureau as part of his creative studio, handling both photography and design services for clients in Malang during his career.
2. He contributed visual content (likely promotional photos, posters, design layouts) that ended up being featured in periodicals and postcards, effectively functioning as regionally recognized adverts of the time.
3. Collections of his original cameras and wood-carved Malang Photo symbols are preserved in museums like Inggil Museum Resto and Leiden (by his family donation), confirming his legacy in advertising and photography.
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Where to find more about his legacy
• Inggil Museum Resto in Malang showcases a replica of Studio Malang and preserves historic media including his advertising artifact: the wood carving of the Malang Photo symbol donated by his daughter Ai Ling Tan Ong.
• Museums and archives like the Chinese Indonesian Heritage Center and publications like Asia Maior document his photographic contributions and studio history