SANTOS House of Jazz

A proposal to re-design the abandoned Santos warehouse in Rotterdam and turn it into a House of Jazz

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Abstract

The historical warehouse SANTOS in Rotterdam's district of Katendrecht is transformed into a House of Jazz. During WWII, Jazz was banned in the entire city after the bombing of Dolle Dinsdag. Only the Belvedere Verhalenhuis in Katendrecht survived and remained as a symbol of hope that Jazz would not die, and that people could go there and play Jazz amidst the terror of the war.
Today, the Belvedere does not function as a Jazz club any more, but houses a restaurant and space for events. This nostalgic revelation turns Santos into the new heart of Jazz in Katendrecht and revives a piece of history that is currently not commemorated. It poses a great opportunity to bring back something to the community that was taken away from it - a place of togetherness and collective culture as the Belvedere Verhalenhuis embodied exactly that during WWII.