Witte Huis

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, in Dutch. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

Freestanding on three sides, tall office building, named THE WHITE HOUSE built for the company of the same name in 1897-'98 after a design by W. Molenbroek in an eclectic style inspired by American examples, with ten storeys on an almost square ground plan under a hipped roof with flattened ridge (now covered with artificial slate).

The basement office building is constructed in traditional stacked masonry, with a central stairwell and two now modernised lifts and office spaces around. The exterior walls are clad in natural stone at the ground floor and first floor, originally intended for shops and cafés; the upper storeys are provided with white-glazed brick, alternating with geometric decorations in yellow, red and blue brick and multicoloured tile tableaux with floral motifs in Art Nouveau style, according to signature executed by 'Holland', Utrecht. All three facades are crowned by a gable at the centre and finished with natural stone cornices. The south facade contains the main entrance, marked by a natural stone frontispiece, the east facade the name inscription in the semicircular niche of the gable, and furthermore on both corners a round bay on all storeys, crowned by a turret; the south and north facades each possess a round clock face in the gable and the year inscription 1898 in the crowning of the north facade.

On the west side the facade is set back in the middle to accommodate fire escapes.

At the height of the first floor, originally six sculptures are placed, on pedestals and overhung by natural stone baldachins, all after a design by Simon Miedema and provided with gilt inscriptions, respectively the personifications of (south) 'Shipping' (originally placed on the north facade, but after the bombardment of 1940 moved in replacement of the destroyed sculpture of 'Labour') and 'Progress' (east) 'Agriculture' and 'Industry', (north) 'Commerce'. The round corner bays are provided at the base with natural stone reliefs with winged dragons and furthermore with wrought-iron lamp hooks with floral motifs, as well as the wrought-iron railings on the roof. The flattened roof was from of old arranged as a viewing point and for the placement of advertising signs.

Internally there remains the iron stair structure and associated railings with ornamental ironwork in the stairwell, as well as the leaded windows, provided with stylised floral motifs in Art Nouveau style and separated by pier columns; furthermore mascarons in the entrance hall and tile dado with relief list of stylised flowers.

Office building of characteristic eclectically inspired by America architecture with details in Art Nouveau style, at the time the highest and one of the oldest 'skyscrapers' of Europe and from the outset arranged for separate rental of office spaces with shared common facilities; therefore of general importance for historical and typological architectural value as well as for prominent location at the corner of Wijnhaven.