The White House. A well known monument at the Old Port Area in the centre of Rotterdam. This white and classical building is considered a land-mark amongst the modern skyscrapers that have been developed in the second-largest city of The Netherlands. mtbs is proud to call this office its port-of-call. A building with history and a story.

The Old Port Area and the Port of Rotterdam

The Old Port Area (“Oude Haven”) in Rotterdam is the location where the first port-activities were initiated over 5 centuries ago, and which ultimately resulted in Rotterdam obtaining the status of the Largest Port in the World. In the Old Port Area traditional port activities were carried out. After the city of Rotterdam was partly destroyed in the 1940 bombings, port activities seized and the area was transformed to a commercial, residential and cultural centre. The only remnants of the port activities are the old shipyard which is still in use, the old boats now used as floating homes and the White House. The street names in the Old Port Area still tell the story of the activities that have taken place here in the last 500 years: Glashaven (Glas), Bierhaven (Beer), Wijnhaven (Wine).

Construction of the White House

At the end of the 18^th century, G.H. and H.M. van der Schuyt hired architect Molenbroek to design a building that would rise up ten stories high, despite of the weak soil on which it would be constructed. This building would be Europe’s first “skyscraper”, located in the Bolwerk (Stronghold)-district of the Old Port Area in Rotterdam. J.H. Stelwegen, also responsible for the St. Elisabeth Church at the Mathernesserlaan, was contracted to construct the unique building. The construction costs totaled around 125,000 guilders.

The White House was not built as a contemporary skyscraper that obtains its structural integrity from its core, holding the elevators and staircases: the building was constructed as a normal house, with outer and inner walls carrying all the weight. This results in walls of over a meter (3 ft) thick at lower levels of the building.

On September 1st 1898, the White House opened its doors for the first time.

The Building

The 43 meters tall, Art-Nouveau-style building still has a prominent appearance in the Rotterdam skyline. During its 110 year history, the building has hosted numerous companies on its 10 floors. During the 1940 bombings, the building was not damaged severely, although traces of this dark time can still be found: Some bullet-holes are still clearly visible as scars on the facade and as remnants to those who have defended and rebuild the city.

Currently, the White House and the adjacent historic shipyard are the centerpieces of a large area of restaurants and bars, making this a vibrant metropolitan area, with a clear connection to the history of the city. Located along the river Meuse (Maas), this area also has clear link the impressive port and maritime industry for which Rotterdam is world-famous.

mtbs at the White House

Since the beginning of 2008, mtbs has its offices in the White House. On the first two floors our dedicated team of port and maritime experts can be found and this is also the location to which we invite our guests. The office combines the traditional exterior of the White House and the Old Port Area with a contemporary maritime-focused interior and modern working concepts.

In 2007, with over 400 million tons of cargo, Rotterdam is proud of being the largest port in Europe and the third in the World. With over 10 million containers handled, the Port of Rotterdam is ranked sixth in the container handling segment. Other large segments are liquid bulk (277 million tons), dry bulk (90 million tons) and roll on/roll off (15 million tons). By the end of 2007, the construction of the Maasvlakte 2 project is initiated, further developing the container- and liquid bulk handling at the port.

Annually, over 130,000 inland vessels literally pass the White House in their journeys to and from the European hinterland.

The continuous activities at the historic shipyard and the dynamic and vibrant atmosphere of the Old Port Area, makes a visit to mtbs at the White House a true experience.