By Anne Brugts, Story Terrace

At the entrance to the city archives in Amsterdam, an elderly man is standing still. Dressed like a gentleman, with a briefcase under his arm, he looks to his left and right alternately. Calm and with a sense of purpose, he seems to await someone. 

‘I’m waiting for my son. I’m joining him here, since he’s got a meeting coming up. He will see the Institution for the Preservation of Monuments and I’ll assist him. I’m a self-employed architect and so is my son. At these kind of meetings I can sometimes be of service to him.

Never had I expected him to follow in my footsteps. He always saw me toil for my job. I was working long hours, and even at home I would be working most of the time. I’ve never encouraged him to choose a similar career path. And I didn’t think the field of architecture interested him even in the slightest.

Until he spent a weekend in Paris. He went there with his former girlfriend and together they visited an exhibition that featured a small architectural exposition. In this salon a large model was set up. I can’t recall what it was a model of, but apparently he stood there for a long time, fascinated by it. From Paris I then received a postcard from him which announced that he had decided to go and study architecture after all. I couldn’t believe it at first: I thought he was making a joke.’

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About us: Story Terrace helps customers to capture personal stories in short books alongside professional writers. Our writers have a range of backgrounds and interests, sharing one passion: portraying individuals through well-crafted anecdotes and connected stories.

For Amsterdam Stories, Anne Brugts roams the streets of the Dutch capital to portray one citizen at a time.