In various recent blogs we referred to the TRC’s need for extra storage to house the TRC Collection. We have promised more information and here it is!

Front of Boerhaavelaan 6, the new home of the TRC. The Annex will be built to the left.As you will know , the TRC Leiden is an international textile knowledge centre that has just moved into new premises (Boerhaavelaan 6, Leiden) thanks to the help of Leiden Council, the semi-governmental organisation, Monumentenbezit, and some anonymous benefactors.

The building (B6) is an urban villa that dates to about 1909 and was expanded in the 1920s. It was the home of one family, the Barge-Nauta's, for nearly 100 years (see a recent TRC blog).

The TRC currently has a handling collection of over 54,000 registered items of textiles, clothing and accessories. The Collection includes objects from all over the world (culture and textiles have no artificial boundaries), dating from prehistory to the present day. We have, for example, some of the oldest textile fragments in the world, as well as modern items representing current events and trends.

The Collection is one of the largest in this part of Europe, and we are very much aware that it will continue to grow in the future. It is a handling collection that people can see, touch and feel, as well as gain inspiration.

Boerhaavelaan 6 as seen from the garden. The annex is planned to replace the old carport/garage to the right (beyond the photograph).The items in the Collection are not only made physically available at the TRC but are also visible online in an open access format. On top of that, we welcome questions from anyone or any group about what we have and why.

Current and future storage needs

We are very much aware that to house the current collection, allow for its future growth, as well as making sure that the collection is close at hand for teaching and research purposes, we need more storage space. So, in consultation with stake holders and other interested parties, the TRC wants to build a sustainable (straw based) depot in the garden of Boerhaavelaan 6.

More specifically, architect Carl Greveling (CGA, Rotterdam) has designed a suitable, sustainable building that will be about 36m x 3.5m x 3.5m in size. We already have official permission from Leiden Council and Monumentenbezit (and we talked with the neighbours) to build it, which shows both organisations’ commitment to what we are doing and want to do.

The Annex

The planned annex is going to be divided into 6 units, each of 6m in length, ground heated, as well as being raised off the ground to allow insects to move underneath. The annex will also visually form an organic part of the TRC's proposed textile garden (we are working together with the HORTUS, the university botanical gardens here in Leiden.

Ground plan of Boerhaavelaan 6 and garden. The planned annex will go to the right of the building (area in light brown). Drawing: Carl Greveling, CGA Rotterdam).

Costs and sponsoring

The annex is going to be divided into 2x units for the American and European collection, 2x units for Middle Eastern and African textiles and garments, and 2x units for Asian items. Each unit will cost c. 40,000 euros, coming to c. 240,000 euros. The total cost of the annex is about 300,000 euros (including foundations, gardening, architect fees, furnishings, etc). Shortly we will be contacting various Dutch funding bodies, to find funding for part of the costs.

However, we need extra resources. We are looking for an individual, group or institute that would be willing to support one or more of the units, or parts thereof. We would be more than happy to acknowledge their help by having their name or company’s name associated with a particular unit. The Turkish community in Leiden, for example, is already seriously looking for help with one of the Middle Eastern units to house what will become a one of the most important Turkish collections here in Europe. Another group here in The Netherlands looking into the possibility for funding for the other Middle Eastern unit.

Tax benefits

The TRC Leiden is a Culturele ANBI in the Netherlands, which means that a Dutch tax-paying individual or company can gain up to a 150% tax deduction for donating towards the TRC. For more information, click here. Regular contributions may even be more profitable. In that case the gifts should include a fixed annual amount given to the TRC for a minimum of five years. For this purpose, please contact your solicitor, or the TRC solicitor (through the TRC office).

In addition, we have 501c3 tax benefits via Myriad USA for US taxpayers. Tax deductible donations can be made via Myriad USA within Sections 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) of the IRC. For more information, click here.

We are also currently working on being registered with Giving Europe, which would mean that donations made in Europe (inc. the UK) to the TRC would also be tax deductible.

Banking details:

To support the construction of the Annex, financial contributions can be made over via bank account NL39 INGB 0002 9823 59, t.a.o. Stichting Textile Research Centre, Leiden. Please add 'Annex'. For those of you in Holland, you can also, very simply, use the iDEAL/Wero button and fill in the amount of support you want to donate.

For more information, please contact the TRC at Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken., or directly, the TRC director, Dr Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood at Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken.. The TRC telephone number, during office hours, is 071-5134144.