Cosman Citroen
Cosman Citroen (26 August 1881 – 15 May 1935) was a Dutch architect. He designed buildings in the Dutch East Indies including the headquarters of the Dutch East Indies Railway Company.
Also recorded as C. Citroen
Cosman Citroen

niet bekend / unknown (Fotograaf/photographer). Fotax, Surabaya (Fotostudio). · Collectie Wereldmuseum (v/h Tropenmuseum), part of the National Museum of World Cultures · Wereldmuseum Amsterdam · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- C.
- Birth Name
- Cornelius Cosman Citroen
- Born
- 26 August 1881
- Birthplace
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Died
- 15 May 1935
- Place of death
- Soerabaja, Dutch East Indies
- Occupation
- Architect
- Nationality
- Kingdom of the Netherlands
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Documentary summary
Cosman Citroen (26 August 1881 – 15 May 1935) was a Dutch architect. He designed buildings in the Dutch East Indies including the headquarters of the Dutch East Indies Railway Company.
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Note VALÉORINE
Cosman Citroen (1881–1935) was a Dutch architect. Born in Amsterdam, the architect died in Surabaya. Cosman Citroen worked for Bert Johan Ouëndag and worked in Surabaya. Works by the architect are held at National Museum of World Cultures.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q2166558 · wikipedia · Cosman Citroen
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — C. Citroen • Birth Name — Cornelius Cosman Citroen • Born — 26 August 1881 • Birthplace — Amsterdam, Netherlands • Died — 15 May 1935 • Place of death — Soerabaja, Dutch East Indies • Occupation — Architect • Notable Works — Lawang Sewu
Early life
Early life
Citroen was the son of Levie Citroen (born on 12 November 1855), a diamond cutter in Amsterdam, and Sara Levie Coltof (born on 26 February 1852). The family included six children.
Career
Career
• Illustration — Sociëteit Concordia (Concordia Society) • Illustration — Citroen's grave at Kembang Kuning Citroen took an architectural education at the State Normal School in Amsterdam and obtained his degree for teacher MO engineering. For the next thirteen years (1902 to 1915), he worked in the architectural firm of J.F. Klinkhamer and B.J. Ouëndag. In 1907, he helped with the design of the NIS headquarters and worked as the company's bureau chief. In 1915, he left to move to the Dutch East Indies. In 1916, he made the first plans for a new town hall and designed the building for the Darmo Hospital. He was a member of several committees, such as the construction restrictions commission and the Archaeological Advisory Service. He was also president of the Museum of Antiquities Association in Surabaya and, during the last years of his life, an architectural advisor to the city of Surabaya. He worked on the urban plan for the area's expansion, including the town plan for Ketabang. In his role as an architect, he was commissioned a plan for the renovation of the old society Concordia for British Petroleum Company. Other buildings which were designed Citroen house on Sumatra Street (later the American consulate), housing in Lawang, the street plan for Koepang, and an overpass on the Pasar Besar. He died after an operation at the age of 53 years from heart failure. The burial took place in Kembang Kuning.
Identity
Identity
Cosman Citroen is recorded as architect.

Foto. Soerabaja, de woning van de burgemeester, gebouwd in 1927
niet bekend / unknown (Fotograaf/photographer). Fotax, Surabaya (Fotostudio). · Collectie Wereldmuseum (v/h Tropenmuseum), part of the National Museum of World Cultures · Wereldmuseum Amsterdam

Foto. Soerabaja, Gentengbrug
niet bekend / unknown (Fotograaf/photographer). Fotax, Surabaya (Fotostudio). · Collectie Wereldmuseum (v/h Tropenmuseum), part of the National Museum of World Cultures · Wereldmuseum Amsterdam
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1881
Cosman Citroen born at Amsterdam.
1935
Cosman Citroen died at Surabaya.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Amsterdam.
Birth place
Surabaya.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
scholarly publication
- COSMAN CITROEN (1881-1935), A MUNICIPAL ADVISORY AND INDEPENDENT ARCHITECT IN SURABAYA, Journal of architecture&ENVIRONMENT, 2019
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2019
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2166558: Cosman Citroen
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Cosman Citroen”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Literature
Scholarly footprint
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Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
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Bibliography printed in the source article · 4
- 'Architect C. Citroen deceased "in the Algemeen Handelsblad, May 17, 1935
- C. Lemon. His career ', in the Indian Gazette, May 16, 1935
- Santoso, ((Joko Triwinarto (author))). Cosman Citroen (1881-1935): Architect in 'booming' Soerabaja. Stichting Bonas / Uitgeverij Verloren. 2018. 9789087047191.
- A study of architect Cosman Citroen (1881-1935) and his works in Surabaya Doctoral Thesis
References
Citations
References
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scholarly publication
COSMAN CITROEN (1881-1935), A MUNICIPAL ADVISORY AND INDEPENDENT ARCHITECT IN SURABAYA, Journal of architecture&ENVIRONMENT, 2019Crossref registry
Institutional witnessauthority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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