Between Time and Style. A conversation with Alice Roegholt on the Het Schip Museum and the “courage to look forward”

Abstract

Het Schip, which was built in Amsterdam between 1919 and 1921, is a great example of Dutch social housing and a real workers’ palace. Michel De Klerk designed the building in the Amsterdam School’s expressionistic style, which was new at the time. Not only did the workers and their families get a good place to live there, but it was also a nice one. The building looks like a steamship because of its triangular shape, which is why people call it Het Schip (The Ship). It has wavy patterns of colourful bricks, architectural sculptures, and a lot of other interesting details. At first, the block had 102 homes with different floor plans. There was also a post office on the corner where the workers could send letters, manage their money, and make phone calls. (...)