"The Rebirth of Katoenhuis" article at Platform Wederopbouw Rotterdam

Just three years ago, very little was known about the building at Keilestraat 9c. In the area's cultural-historical survey, it was described simply as a reinforced concrete warehouse with traditional brick infill. 

While studying the original construction drawings, the founders of Concrete Culture came across the family name "Van Bennekum." The name and the mystery surrounding the building sparked their curiosity and became the starting point of the research. After calling every "Van Bennekum" listed in the phone book, they pretty quickly reached Jan Dirk van Bennekum, the last director-owner of Van Bennekum's Port Authority.

What followed was an extraordinary story that led, among other things, to the publication on the building's history and to the preservation and stewardship of the Van Bennekum Collection by Concrete Culture: a remarkable archive of photographs, artifacts and other materials, spanning nearly a century of the city's, the port's, and one family's intertwined histories.

We are incredibly grateful to Inge Hagenbeek for her beautiful article, edited by Paul Groenendijk, for Platform Wederopbouw Rotterdam. It includes a quote that perfectly captures the building's future (translated from Dutch):

"We believe that the creative and technical industries need to work together much more to contribute to the transition from the largest to the smartest port in the world. That is possible here in the Katoenhuis. A more beautiful rebirth of the Katoenhuis is not imaginable.”

Read the full article (in Dutch): https://wederopbouwrotterdam.nl/artikelen/de-wedergeboorte-van-het-katoenhuis

Download the full publication about Katoenhuis history:

Katoenhuis history.pdf

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