A villa becomes a museum: old and new in Oss
At Museum Jan Cunen, Villa Constance shows how a nineteenth-century townhouse can adapt to exhibitions. A later renovation made that transition visible.
Villa Constance at Molenstraat 65 in Oss is more than the home of Museum Jan Cunen. Designed in 1888 by H.R. Hendriks for margarine manufacturer Arnold van den Bergh, the villa later became the town hall. City archivist Jan Cunen began a collection there, leading to the first city museum in 1935. The building and collection thus developed together.
Once the town hall moved out, the museum could use the entire villa. During a 1980 renovation, its historic rooms were restored wherever possible. Visitors now encounter the scale and layout of a former home as well as changing exhibitions. The museum says the small dining room once served as the mayor’s office, while weddings took place in the large salon.
The Den Bosch firm De Twee Snoeken renovated the museum and added new rooms. A transparent entrance was added on the park side, with an exhibition mezzanine above the new café. The attic was also converted into exhibition space. The villa gained new museum functions while retaining its historic character.
The upper gallery pictured in 2022 shows timber beams and a rooflight. The room reveals how the roof structure, daylight and the scale of the villa shape the experience of an exhibition. In 2018 a local jury named the renovated villa Oss’s most beautiful building.
The museum lists a sloping entrance and a lift to almost all galleries; the stairwell is the exception. Its current visitor page states opening hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday. The museum is scheduled to close from 2 through 14 November 2026 while exhibitions are changed. The visitor page provides the latest information.