Jan Wils
Dutch architect (1891-1972)
Jan Wils (Alkmaar, 22 February 1891 – Voorburg, 11 February 1972) was a Dutch architect known for his design of the Olympic Stadium for the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.
Wils joined Johan Mutters's office in The Hague in 1914 but left two years later to start his own firm.
Wils was one of the founding members of the De Stijl movement, which also included artists as Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg and Gerrit Rietveld. His work evolved into the style of the New Hague School.
Among other works, Wils designed the Olympic Stadium for the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. His design was also entered in the Olympic art competition, and won the gold medal. He also designed the Papaverhof housing complex, now a Rijksmonument (Dutch national heritage site).
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Jan Wils” is dutch architect (1891-1972). The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Wils, Dutch and architect, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “dutch architect (1891-1972)” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1394697. VIAF identifies the subject as 89516562. The Library of Congress control number is n83025508. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1891, 1972, 1928 and 1914.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Jan Wils”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Jan Wils primary sources, Jan Wils archive and Wils research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Jan Wils”?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Jan Wils” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.