The Shipping House () is a building on the western tip of the Waalseiland near

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

harbour that is one of the

top 100 Dutch heritage sites The Top 100 Dutch heritage sites is a list of rijksmonuments in the Netherlands, established in 1990 by the Department for Conservation (Monumentenzorg, today the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed). The Top 100 was a selection of historical mo ...

and generally regarded as the first true example of the

Amsterdam School The Amsterdam School (Dutch: ''Amsterdamse School'') is a style of architecture that arose from 1910 through about 1930 in the Netherlands. The Amsterdam School movement is part of international Expressionist architecture, sometimes linked ...

, a style characterised by "expressive dynamism, lavish ornamentation and colourful embellishments". It is situated on the Prins Hendrikkade and was erected on the spot where Cornelis Houtman's first trip to the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

had begun in 1595. The first part was built 1913 - 1916 (during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

); the second part was built 1926 -1928. Originally, it was the headquarters of six leading Amsterdam shipping companies: the '' Netherlands Steamship Company'' (SMN), the ''Royal Packet Navigation Company'' (KPM), the ''Java-China-Japan Line'' (JCJL) and the ''Royal Dutch Steamboat Company'' (KNSM) with subsidiary ''New Rhine Navigation Company'' (NRM) and acquired in 1912 ''Royal West India Mail Service'' (KWIM).

Design

Rijksmonument 4158 Scheepvaarthuis Amsterdam 02

A large group of artists participated in the extensive decoration of both the exterior and the interior of the building. The shipping companies housed inside were all involved in global trade, their combined lines "circumnavigated the earth in several directions" from Dutch hub points in the East and

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. As it was intended to serve as a practical, modern and functional office and also refer to the rich maritime tradition of the Netherlands, there are numerous maritime symbols incorporated into the design. For example, the outside of the building is covered in carving and relief sculptures that reflect the

Dutch colonial empire The Dutch colonial empire () comprised overseas territories and trading posts under some form of Dutch control from the early 17th to late 20th centuries, including those initially administered by Dutch chartered companies—primarily the Du ...

, with the sculpted personifications of the oceans around the main entrance presented as "exotic mysterious women". The building's design and execution were entrusted to the brothers Johan Godart and Adolf Daniel Nicholas van Gendt. The van Gendt brothers were responsible for the technical implementation and the design of the concrete frame. The architectural design was left to the then relatively unknown architect Johan van der Mey. The Amsterdam School architects

Michel de Klerk Michel de Klerk (24 November 1884, Amsterdam – 24 November 1923, Amsterdam) was a Dutch architect. Born to a Jewish family, he was one of the founding architects of the movement Amsterdam School (Expressionist architecture) Early in his ca ...

and

Piet Kramer Pieter Lodewijk (Piet) Kramer (Amsterdam, 1 July 1881 – Santpoort, 4 February 1961) was a Dutch architect, one of the most important architects of the Amsterdam School ( Expressionist architecture). From 1903 to 1911 Piet Kramer worked in th ...

also contributed. The design has been described as still holding "the charm and brilliance" of the era.

Construction

Rijksmonument 4158 Scheepvaarthuis Amsterdam 45

For the construction a public company was founded with a capital of 1,000,000

guilders Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' (" gold penny"). This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Rom ...

. The building was planned to occupy 1,400 square metres at the corner of the Prins Hendrikkade and Binnenkant. Thirteen buildings had to be demolished: numbers 108 to 114 on Prins Hendrikkade and numbers 1 to 6 on Binnenkant. The first phase was 1913-16 and the expansion was completed twelve years later (1926–28). In order to avoid colour variation, the bricks were baked at the same time for both construction phases. Various types of brick, ironwork,

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

, exotic hardwoods and textiles were processed in large quantities. The materials used were extremely costly with some types of brick and moulds for profiles being specially designed. Besides terracotta, much precious stone was also used, including

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

and varieties of porphyry

diorite Diorite ( ) is an intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock formed by the slow cooling underground of magma (molten rock) that has a moderate content of silica and a relatively low content of alkali metals. It is Intermediate composition, inter ...

. The former main entrance on the corner Prins Hendrikkade and Binnenkant is topped by a truncated tower structure, coated with copper-coloured English

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

. The

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

eaves The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...

were executed in the form of ship ropes, golf, and fishing cups.

Interior

Staircase

Several features of the building are particularly noteworthy: the richly decorated central staircase; the boardroom on the floors at the corner of the Prins Hendrikkade and the Binnenkant; and the large meeting room on the third floor on the Prins Hendrikkade side. The

ironwork Ironwork is any weapon, artwork, utensil, or architectural feature made of iron, especially one used for decoration. There are two main types of ironwork: wrought iron and cast iron. While the use of iron dates as far back as 4000 BC, it was th ...

in the central staircase forms a connecting link between the floors. The stairwell is enclosed by stained-glass, implemented and designed - as was almost all the other stained-glass work in the building - by the glazier William Bogtman. The building contains a working paternoster lift.

Large meeting room

The large meeting or deliberation room on the third floor was by the interior designer T. Nieuwenhuis. Its interior fittings are made of dark tropical woods such as

mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...

ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also includes the persimmon tree. A few ''Diospyros'' species, such as macassar and mun ebony, are dense enough to sink in water. Ebony is fin ...

and c oromandel. During a renovation in 1972 the stained-glass windows were shortened, original wall coverings were redone in a lighter shade and the original wall lamps, ceiling and

chandelier A chandelier () is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now inca ...

removed. The original chandelier, executed in openwork

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

, was replaced in 1974.

Hotel

Rijksmonument 4158 Scheepvaarthuis Amsterdam 35

The last shipping company left the building in 1981 and the Shipping House was occupied in August 1983 by the Amsterdam Municipal Transport Company (GVB). By 2004, the GVB had gone elsewhere. After a major renovation, the building was opened on 8 June 2007 as a five star hotel/ restaurant/ conference centre containing 165 rooms, including 22 suites, eight banquet and meeting rooms, a restaurant, a bar/lounge and a wellness centre. In designing the hotel interior, Amsterdam-based architect Ray Kentie was inspired by the original sumptuous

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style. In keeping with the tradition of the

Gesamtkunstwerk A ''Gesamtkunstwerk'' (, 'total work of art', 'ideal work of art', 'universal artwork', 'synthesis of the arts', 'comprehensive artwork', or 'all-embracing art form') is a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms or strives to do so. ...

, he invited artists like Gerti Bierenbroodspot and Christie van der Haak to complete the renovation. Bierenbroodspot paintings and sculptures of shells, fish,

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are ...

s and sea monsters can be viewed in all the rooms and corridors, and there are even hand painted Delft Blue dolphins on the bottom of the pool. Bierenbroodspot also designed the porcelain used in the restaurant. Christie van der Haak was inspired by Van Nieuwenhuis patterns in the designs for the decoration of the room interiors, the restaurant and the bar. The

damask Damask (; ) is a woven, Reversible garment, reversible patterned Textile, fabric. Damasks are woven by periodically reversing the action of the warp and weft threads. The pattern is most commonly created with a warp-faced satin weave and the gro ...

table napkins were hand woven in the workshops of the National Dutch Textile Museum.

Timeline

55 scheepvaarthuis klok - WLM 2011 - drobm

* 1912 Mission to Johan Melchior van der Mey for a design of the Shipping House, under the auspices of the Office The Shipping SA, whose shareholders are six leading Amsterdam shipping companies, including the Royal Netherlands Steamship Company and the Netherlands Steamship Company. * 1913 Start of construction. * 1914/1916 Opening of the first part with the users / owners of the six Amsterdam shipping companies. * 1926/1928 Expansion resulting in opening the second part. * 1942 The Shipping House is claimed on behalf of the German "Soziale Verwaltung" and company housing is limited to the third and fourth floor. * 1945 The shipping companies return to their own floor and begin the restoration of their fleet. * 1953 The companies consider a final completion of the building - a third wall to complete the triangle. * 1972 The Shipping House listed as a national monument (

Rijksmonument A (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands had 61,822 l ...

). * 1979 The Shipping House is sold to Caransa, which in turn sells it in 1983 to the municipality for NLG 14,000,000.00. * 1983 The Shipping House is used by the Municipal Transport Company of Amsterdam (GVB) as its headquarters. * 1998 The Shipping House is owned by the Van Eijl family, including the owner and director of Amrâth Hotels & Restaurants. Meanwhile, the façade including ironwork, was restored in cooperation with the Bureau of Monument Care and Architecture led by Hoogevest Architects. * 2005 Opening activities for the conversion to hotel. * 2007 Opening Grand Hotel Amrâth Amsterdam.