The Shipping House: Architectural Jewel in the Heart of Amsterdam
If you stumble upon Amsterdam’s Het Scheepvaarthuis (Eng. The Shipping House) at night, it may strike you as a mystical palace from a bygone era. With a curious blend of design elements, the building feels both familiar and exotic, static and flowing, grand and welcoming. Like a ship moored on the city’s streets, the Shipping House reveals a history as rich as its visual narrative.
The Shipping House was originally established as the headquarters for six leading Dutch shipping companies in the early 20th century. Its design was set to epitomize splendor and strength. The structure, a pioneering example of the Amsterdam School of Architecture, showcases an organic interplay of warm brick, decorative masonry, wrought ironwork, and art glass.
Reflecting its maritime origins, the building’s exterior is adorned with rich nautical motifs. The triangular layout creates a prominent corner that resembles a ship’s prow. Ropes with anchors are intertwined around the pointed roofs. The facade features stone carvings of 23 heads, representing notable 17th-century explorers, seafarers, cartographers, and governors. The entrance is embellished with sculptures symbolizing the four oceans, which rise as pillars to enhance the structure’s verticality.
Inside, the building was created as a gesamtkunstwerk, where every detail contributes to the overall maritime theme, right from the entrance with the grand marble staircase, wrapped in waves of wrought iron, leading through the sea of historical richness. Neptune’s trident, seahorses, zodiac signs, and sea creatures appear not only in stained-glass windows, sculpture work, and marble but also in furniture and fittings such as carpets, chairs, and wallpaper.
The marble stairwell is enclosed by a stained glass ceiling, displaying shipping routes across the eastern and western hemispheres, drawing inspiration from seventeenth-century world maps. The narrow window in between illustrates the zodiac signs, enhancing the historical ambiance of the space. Post World War II, the purpose of the Shipping House shifted when the city’s public transport company (GVB) occupied the building. This period saw the introduction of modern elements, including pastel ceiling panels and strip lighting, blending subtly with the historic maritime aesthetics.
In 1998, Amsterdam’s Municipality sold The Shipping House, paving the way for its transformation into the Grand Hotel Amrâth. The vision for the renovation, led by architect Ray Kentie, was to seamlessly integrate the building’s historic charm with modern hotel luxury, making it appear as if it had always been destined to be a hotel.
The renovation process was a meticulous endeavor, lasting one and a half years. Kentie collaborated with artists Gertie Bierenbroodspot and Christie van der Haak to reinstate and enhance the building’s maritime character. Bierenbroodspot contributed lithographs depicting ships and sea creatures, even designing the hand-painted tiles for the swimming pool and the porcelain table service. Christie van der Haak, inspired by the original textiles, curated the soft furnishings and fabrics within the hotel, echoing the building’s elegant history.
The Grand Hotel Amrâth, opened in June 2007, displays a harmonious blend of historical reverence and contemporary elegance. Guests are enveloped in an environment where the past and present merge, surrounded by original sculptures, wood paneling, and stained-glass art, all evoking the grandeur of Dutch maritime history.
Text author: Gabija Seiliūtė
