White House (Rotterdam)

Brief information

The White House rose on a square plot by the Old Harbor, which was considered almost unsuitable for a high-rise building: the soft, marshy soil raised doubts among critics. For this reason, about a thousand piles were driven beneath the building, and two additional load-bearing walls up to 140 centimeters thick were included inside. Behind the outwardly ornate facade lies a very practical struggle with the ground.

In 1898, the ten-story building, 43 meters high, became the tallest non-religious building in Europe and gained a reputation as the first European skyscraper. At first, the city authorities allowed only non-residential premises here and for several years issued no new permits for high-rise construction, watching to see whether the building would hold up. It withstood not only the soil, but also the bombing of 1940, when neighboring buildings were destroyed.

What to notice right away

It makes sense to read the White House as a skyscraper that did not want to look American. Instead of the steel image of early New York and Chicago high-rises, here there is brick and 120,000 white glazed tiles with yellow, blue, and red inserts. The corner bay windows of the main facade are topped with decorative turrets, while the upper three floors are hidden under a steep metal pyramidal roof.

Separately, you can compare the businesslike and decorative details. On the side facade there is a clock in a triangular pediment; it was restored and set running again in 2015. At the second-floor level, the band of windows is decorated with columns bearing plant ornament, and in the niches between the windows stand five allegorical sculptures: industry, agriculture, trade, navigation, and progress. Thus the office building shows not only height, but also the forces of the late 19th century that people wanted to see on its facade.