The iconic Tram House at Eendrachtsplein has been fully restored. Built in 1914 in Art Nouveau style, it now serves as a starting point for city walks, both guided and unguided.

“All nuts and bolts, all iron and glass were taken apart, inspected, and carefully restored so that no rust or other defects remain,” says Marjolein van den Blink, director of the Tram House. “There was a lot of handiwork involved, as all the glass is specifically matched to the panes and frames of the house.”

Steel and glass

The house is a special example. It was built in 1914 on behalf of the Rotterdam Electric Tramway Company (RETM). Fully executed in the then popular Art Nouveau style: a slender building mainly of light steel and glass. It was located at the old Beursplein.
Many buildings were lost in the 1940 bombing, but this small and fragile building survived. It was moved several times in its entirety. Among others, it stood at the Coolsingel, the Weena, the Stationsplein, and the Kruisplein. Moving it was quite an operation, as the building was not demountable. It had to be lifted with a wheeled crane truck. 

Saved from demolition

When it no longer served as a tram house in 1967, the building was actually supposed to be demolished. But the chief official of the GEB (Municipal Energy Company), also an art expert and antique lover, put a stop to that. He found the tram house valuable and got permission to move and renovate it. 

In 1970, the Rotterdamsche Parool reported that digging was underway at Eendrachtsplein for placing the old tram house. “First, a basement is being built, including toilets. The floor will have mosaic tiles from an old farmhouse, and a spiral staircase from the former Zuiderkerk will connect the basement and tram house.” 

Fully restored

At this location, the house had a hospitality function as a pub, nightclub, and kebab shop. That did not do the structure any good. On the initiative of Stadsherstel Rotterdam and Droom en Daad, the building has been fully restored since 2023 based on a 1931 photo from the City Archive. The house has now been put back, exactly on the old basement which has also been restored. It will serve as a starting point for city walks.

Walk through the city

On February 14, the Tram House opens as a kiosk for city walks. From here, you can take walks with or without a guide, with a booklet or as a podwalk. Many well-known Rotterdammers contributed, such as actress Loes Luca and artist Joep van Lieshout. Also, from this spring, there will be ‘Hartstochtjes’; walks with a connecting character. More info: www.tramhuis.nl. Link opens an external page in a new browser tab..