Van Nelle Factory
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How it came to be
Van Nelle processed coffee, tea and tobacco, and its co-owner Cees van der Leeuw commissioned a new factory. It was built from 1925 to 1931 beside a canal in the Spaanse Polder industrial zone north-west of Rotterdam. The architect was Leendert van der Vlugt of the Brinkman and Van der Vlugt office, working with the reinforced-concrete engineer J.G. Wiebenga.
With its walls of steel and glass, the factory became a leading example of Nieuwe Bouwen, the Dutch modern movement. In 1932 Le Corbusier called it the most beautiful spectacle of the modern age. How much Mart Stam, then a draughtsman in the office, contributed to the design became a matter of dispute.
The factory later also made chewing gum, instant pudding and rice. In 1989 the company was bought by Sara Lee/Douwe Egberts, and all production ended in 1996. Listed as a national monument in 1985, the complex was restored from 2000 to 2006 for offices and events, and was inscribed in 2014.
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