De Vijf Werelddelen/Vrij Entrepot

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

Introduction:

Former WAREHOUSE BUILDING 'The Five Continents', originally intended for duty-free storage of transit goods. Built between 1875-1879 in utilitarian eclectic architectural style on the initiative of L. Pincoffs and H.A. Then-Bergh, the directors of the Rotterdamsche Handels Vereeniging (R.H.V.) founded in 1872, according to a design by architectural firm G.J. Morre en Co. of Delft. In the technical execution of what was then the most modern warehouse in the world, Th.J. Stieltjes as chief engineer of the R.H.V. and his assistant and later successor ir. W.A. Mees were closely involved. The substructure was contracted to the construction firm Engel & Van Krevelden, the superstructure by contractor D. Warnsink. In connection with accessibility from the water, the building was provided with its own basin at the Binnenhaven, the Entrepothaven. The Free Warehouse was furthermore directly accessible to freight wagons. After the bankruptcy of the R.H.V. in 1882, following protracted negotiations between the management, the municipality and the State, it was decided that from 1 May 1885 the municipality of Rotterdam would operate the Free Warehouse.

N.B. The veem building America was partially destroyed by fire in 1962 and was restored a year later with a modified layout.

The southern facade of the complex was moreover extensively modernised around the same time through a substantial expansion of loading capacity. For this purpose, concrete loading balconies were installed for the loading doors on the third floor, the iron loading balconies on the second floor were widened and joined together into one continuous balcony with a concrete floor, and the existing loading balcony on the first floor was widened by the installation of a concrete floor, making use of the original gallery of cast-iron columns and steel beams. In the same year iron hoisting beams were installed on the roof at the north facade. In 1997 the entire warehouse building was converted to a different use.

Description:

Soberately designed large Free Warehouse (197.50m by 37.25m) with a rectangular ground plan erected on a specially constructed quay, with long side directly facing the Entrepothaven of five veems.

The surrounding area of 3500 square metres was originally enclosed by a wall. The warehouse, with a total storage space of 30,536 square metres, comprises four storeys above a watertight basement floor with high vaults of unreinforced concrete. The whole is constructed in red brick with natural stone mouldings, keystones and cordon mouldings between the ground floor and the first floor. The building is founded on 8,380 wooden piles on which, via wooden beams (kespen), the brick walls rest. The virtually open floor plan is carried by 192 I-shaped cast-iron columns, placed in a grid of 5.22 by 5.33 metres. Across the building along its entire width are four firewalls, reaching up to two metres above the roof covering and passing through the facade, constructed of 44 cm wide brickwork topped with natural stone saddle pieces. This creates a clear division of the building into five veem sections, of which the outer ones have an identical length of 26.77 metres (five bays) and the three middle ones each have a length of 47.88 metres (nine bays). The complex is two veems (seven bays) deep. Each part bears the name of one of the five continents, from east to west: Africa, Europe, America, Asia and Australia. Besides the firewalls, the building is vertically articulated by pilasters between the windows and loading doors. The cross windows are all coupled in threes and, like the double wooden loading doors, are slightly arched and provided with natural stone mouldings. The pilasters, now only present in a number of places, found their termination in a crenellated projection on the projecting roof edge and are provided between the storeys with wrought-iron ornamental wall anchors with a lily motif. At the top of the facade between the pilasters is a brick arch frieze. In the storeys below, the facade articulation is determined by the rhythm of windows and loading doors. On the south side, the middle bay of the outer two veems has loading doors on every storey, the remaining bays have windows. In the three intermediate veems windows and loading doors are arranged alternately. On the north side the loading doors of the middle veems are located at the level of the third and seventh bay, whilst in the outer veems in relation to the south facade the loading doors are positioned one bay closer to the firewall. In the seven bays comprising the copy east and west gables are seven slightly arched entrance gates on the ground floor. The storeys above have loading doors in the third and fifth bays, the remaining bays are provided with coupled arched windows. Throughout the complex, above the loading doors, iron hoisting beams are installed on the roof. At the southern quay side of the complex is a 10 metre wide gallery with 38 cast-iron columns (octagonal with a sober profiled base and capital), which partially covers the quay. Furthermore on the south side, partly on the quay and partly on the loading balcony, are four mobile electric portal cranes with a fixed jib and a covered wooden control cabin from 1908-1913. These cranes, installed in place of the original hydraulic chain cranes, were manufactured by the Haarlem engineering works 'Figee'.

Valuation:

Large former Free Warehouse building from 1875-79 with associated components of general importance from a cultural and architectural historical perspective and of great typological value as the most modern storage building in the world at the time. Also of particular historical and urban planning significance due to the functional relationship with port development on the left bank of the Meuse and its prominent visual position.