Bureau Veerhaven

Cultural Heritage Climate

Architecture

Floating Commercial

Created at: 22 Jul 2024

Description

On November 6, 1911, the Rotterdam river police gained access to a floating facility: a wooden office with an iron foundation on pontoons in the Parkhaven. The intention was to make this floating office 'deployable' at various locations in the harbor. Ultimately, it proved impractical to tow the pontoon across the river to different harbors. The office then received a permanent berth in the Parkhaven.

In 1912, the office was equipped with wireless transmission equipment. During repair work, the floating office capsized and partially sank, damaging the transmission equipment and resulting in the loss of the entire archive.

The building became too small, and after the construction and opening of the new river police office on St. Jobsweg, the floating police station became redundant in 1933. During World War II, the Germans seized the pontoons under the building. The wooden structure was saved; it was lifted off the pontoon and placed on a stone foundation in Zwijndrecht, where it served as a residence until 1995.

In that year, it was sold for a symbolic amount of 1 guilder to the Stichting Veerhaven. The building now serves as a floating office for the Harbor Master of the Stichting Veerhaven.

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Tijmen Kuyper

• Submitted 2 projects
• Expert at Water
• Netherlands

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