Scheepvaarthuis

Scheepvaarthuis rises in Amsterdam’s Lastage district, the former shipping quarter beyond the city walls. Its prow-shaped corner, terracotta reliefs, and colourful details announce the Amsterdam School at street level.

Built for six shipping companies, the first section took shape between 1913 and 1916, while an extension followed between 1926 and 1928. Johan van der Mey, Michel de Klerk, Piet Kramer, and the van Gendt brothers combined architecture, sculpture, stained glass, and interiors into a total work of art. Twenty-three projecting heads portray explorers, sailors, governors, and cartographers, while the entrance presents the world’s oceans through distinct figures. Neptune and Amphitrite crown the ship-like corner, holding a ship’s wheel above the street.

Granite, marble, specially designed brick, terracotta, and exotic hardwood continue inside, alongside rope-like ironwork and stained-glass ships. A richly decorated central staircase leads towards the third-floor meeting room, where mahogany and ebony frame T. Nieuwenhuis’s design. The working paternoster lift still adds a moving mechanical detail to this maritime setting. After serving Amsterdam’s municipal transport company, the building became a luxury hotel in 2007, preserving its historic character alongside later works featuring shells, fish, mermaids, and sea monsters.