A less boring place
The two or three-storey rectangular apartment blocks that stood here from the early 20th century were demolished during the Second World War to make way for the Atlantic Wall. The same thing happened to the grand school building of the Grotius Lyceum on what was then Stokroosplein (now Stokroosveld).
In Dudok’s post-war reconstruction plans, Segbroeklaan was rerouted and became part of a main link road between the Westland and Wassenaar. The highway was flanked by new strips of amenity planting with ponds and high-rise flats. Dudok intended this ‘to breathe new architectural life into this boring city’. The Haagse Beek watercourse was also rerouted and integrated into the roadside gardens.
The high-rise housing complex beside Goudsbloemlaan is regarded as an important example of the Dutch post-war reconstruction style. The Segbroek College building designed by J.J.P. Oud (1890-1963) in the angle of Segbroeklaan is a listed building and is easily spotted because of its protruding round staircase.