Weesperstaete
Weesperstaete is a 1969 Dutch office building in Amsterdam. It is located on Weesperplein, corner of Sarphatistraat and was designed by Alexander Bodon on behalf of Bank voor Onroerende Zaken nv . Popularly known as "The Coffin".
It has 9 floors and was initially fitted with a curtain wall of dark tinted glass. According to Ids Haagsma, it is a copy of the Seagram Building (1958) in New York, by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. However, Bodon had wanted to provide it with two extra floors and a clearly closing roof structure, but did not receive permission for this from the aesthetics committee and the Urban Development Department.
The building fits in with the then plans for large-scale city development and is located behind the building line of Sarphatistraat because this street, like Weesperstraat, was to be widened into an arterial road. The base includes an entrance to Weesperplein metro station. On the Weesperplein side it spans a small street, the Former Stadstimmertuinen.
Weesperstaete was rented out in 1971 to the Municipality of the University of Amsterdam, which housed the psychology faculty there. When this faculty moved to the Roeterseiland complex, the School of Economic Studies (HES) became a tenant. After the HES was relocated in December 2003, Weesperstaete was thoroughly renovated by order of owner Mapron according to a plan by ZZDP architects. The entire interior was stripped and the closed glass curtain wall was replaced by windows that can be opened.
Today, Weesperstaete is home to the development company of the municipality of Amsterdam.