October 1st is getting closer

It’s been a year since we decided to move the Amsterdam ABC two blocks down the street to Spui 12, the former piano store. Construction is now in full swing: the building’s foundation is being strengthened with 39 pilings, a new concrete floor will soon be poured on one level, the lift and stairs are being renewed, and a whole new floor is being created for offices. Why are we going to all this trouble?

The first problem with the building in the state we found it, was the foundation. During the 150 years since being built, the building had shifted. The ground floor was on three levels, making it impossible for wheelchairs or buggies to navigate. And the elevator was large enough for grand pianos but not safe enough for public use.

Another challenge was our processing area. We currently have an area as large as the current basement for processing incoming goods and shelving overstock – we don’t actually need so much space, but since we’ve had, it we’ve used it! To accommodate these needs in the new building, our keen architects have created adequate space on the ground floor.

Now, where to put the offices? In addition to our current four sales floors, the Kalverstraat building has three other floors – for processing, bike rack, employee canteen, and offices. Not to mention a great balcony where one can look out over the city while enjoying a smoke. (Or not.)

Eagle’s nest

The second floor of the new building had been built in 1856 as a “grand hall” for the literary society of Amsterdam. At some point much later, the plaster ceiling had become damaged and was covered with modern tiles. When we recently removed these layers, a 20-foot-high space emerged – enough to insert a partial floor resting on steel rows. This is where the administrative, marketing, personnel, ICT and management staff will have desks. Above the ground floor, in the “eagle’s nest”, will be our employee canteen and meeting room. If we run out of meeting room space, we can also use the ABC Treehouse, just one block away.

The sales floors will be about the same size as the current store’s but distri-buted differently. Yes, the books will fit! And we’ve also managed to create the spaces we need to comfortably and gracefully operate our independent, self-importing, self-inventing, bookstore.

Same size

People often ask, “Is the new building bigger?” Not yet, but we’re optimising the space as fast as possible. With thanks to architects Yaniv, Thomas, Jan, Allard and Marc of A+D+P in Amsterdam, and with input from our own OR, individual staff members, and customers, we believe we’ve come up with the optimal design for our new home. We’ll have to keep tweaking it, we know. Sometimes it might not work exactly as we’ve projected. But in retail, like in housework, one is never really done. And the periodic lust for renewal is part of the fun of bookselling at The American Book Center!

Move Update July 7, 2006

On Monday, July 10, a new ground floor will be poured…and poured and poured, on top of a steel gridwork 16” deep with tunnels for utilities. It will take 12- 14 hours , but by the next day the ground floor will be open and on one level instead of three, accessible for buggies and wheelchairs.

As soon as that is finished, all kinds of deconstruction will follow and the construction process will begin in earnest. One more wall and one more floor will go out, a steel portal will come in. The ceiling way at the top will be finished off and the scaffolding taken down so that the steel girders for the new 3rd floor can be pulled up and put into place. The work in the ceiling is really neat – original wooden beams have been exposed and raised to optimal height. Lots of wood remains visible.

Our sign permit has been granted and the bookshelves ordered. That was a major job, counting up all the shelves and brackets and shims which will be needed. Next decisions will concern colors, flooring, heating and cooling and balustrade treatment. Staff and readers keep feeding good ideas to move@abc.nl. It’s a weird rhythm…..after imagining how it will look for 6 months, and looking at flooring and lighting all over for ideas, suddenly the architects need a final final final decision right now now now. It’s hard to know when final means final and now means now after so many fits and starts over such a long period. Of course, decisions must be made now because the whole construction branch closes down to go on holiday for three weeks on July 24th and orders must be made and confirmed beforehand so that production will be finished on time.

But so far we’re still planning to move over the last week of September.

June Update, Things are moving!

Well, there's still not much to see but much is happening.

Thirty nine pilings are being driven into the ground to reinforce the building structure. They've uncovered an old wooden floor (hard to punch through) as well as an old cellar with a wooden stairs going down into it. Once the hollow tubes are sunk (in 3 shorter sections, then welded on the spot), steel rods will be inserted and braided to similar steel rods along the floors and into the walls. Then, as I understand it, this steel tapestry will be frozen in place by pouring concrete all down the tubes and over the floor.

Further, the ceiling structure will be adapted next week by raising higher the roof beams in a couple places (J.R. Salinger knows about this, too) so that the new office floor is suitable for tall people. The beams themselves will be impregnated with fire resistant stuff and left bare for all to see - white gypsum wall board will be used between the beams to close off and lighten up the ceiling. Some natural light source will be made in the roof.

We've agreed on an elevator plan. The old lift was large but couldn't lift more than 680 kg. This didn't matter as grand pianos weigh less than that. But books are more dense.
According to codes, in order to lift 680 kg of books and people, the lift cabin must be smaller. It will be 140 x 110 large, not quite as large as what we're used to, but we won't be lifting pallets in and out of it, so it should be large enough for our book carts and a couple people.
We could have made it just a freight elevator in which personnel could ride as well - but that would entail staff accompanying every customer both up and down. In spite of the extra investment, we decided it will be worthwhile to make a public elevator.

Further, the initial allocation of book sections has been finished with lots of help and input from Amsterdam buyers. The planning of the staff allocation per floor has been started and that looks all right, too. The mover has given a demo we've timed the procedures. We concluded that, with one or two small vans and good in and out packing teams which rotate, we'll have no trouble getting the books over within normal working hours. Refinements continue at our monthly Move meetings.

Ideas keep rolling into the move@abc.nl mailbox and they are read and considered - so keep em coming!

That's the news at the moment!
Lynn

The ABC Amsterdam Buildings - A History

The American Book Center Amsterdam will move in October 2006 from Kalverstraat 185 to the Harmony building at Spui 12, her third location in the same neighborhood since 1972.This is a short historic overview of the different locations ABC has used to provide the Amsterdam community with wonderful books. We will not only look at the past but also give you a glimpse of the future.

Kalverstraat 185

During the 15th century, the building that nowadays houses the Maison de Bonneterie and The American Book Center was a shelter for lepers. As you can imagine, they did not have any neighbors. The building stood all by itself in a deserted meadow. At that time, Kalverstraat 185 was not quite yet the place where droves of people would come fun-shopping on a busy Saturday afternoon, although, the history does lend new meaning to the phrase, 'That'll cost you an arm and a leg.'


This sketch, from the archives of the Amsterdam municipal records office, shows what the leper shelter looked like.

Two centuries later (17th), the Kalverstraat became a bit busier but you still did not find many shoppers. Except during the so-called Silent Procession (a Catholic procession that originated in 1345 when the holy virgin appeared to a sick man in one of the buildings on this street) the only people wandering about were woodworkers and carpenters who worked in the remodeled building next-door to Kalverstraat 185.


This drawing shows Kalverstraat 185 from the Heiligeweg.

'The original chapel that belonged to the Sint Jorishof (the leprosy house) was remodeled in 1624 and then rented to the Saint Josef woodworkers and carpenters guild.' From the archives of the Amsterdam Municipal Records Office.

Kalverstraat 185 was first used as a retail space in 1886, when Metz & Co briefly occupied the building. This company was founded by Moses Samuels, a silk fabric merchant. He named his business after his home town in Germany. In 1908, Metz & Co moved to the impressive 'New York' building at the corner of Leidsestraat and Keizersgracht. Soon, it became one of the best known department stores in Amsterdam.

It was, however, not until 1913 that larger groups of eager money spenders began visiting the Kalverstraat when Maison de Bonneterie opened its fancy (and huge) department store in Kalverstraat 183-191 and Rokin numbers 190, 142 and 150. They still sell high quality fashion from this building, today.


In 1972 the peace and solitude of the posh Maison de Bonneterie was roughly disturbed when Mothercare moved into Kalverstraat 185 with nothing but pregnant women, worried moms and screaming babies as its customers.

And the place would never again be quiet or boring. Because in 1986 The American Book Center moved from:

Kalverstraat 158

to

Kalverstraat 185

Since then, the building has been bustling with activity on four floors of books and ideas open to the public plus three more floors bustling with support activities.

Spui 12, The Harmony Building

The building at Spui 12 also did not start out as a retail space.

During the 14th century the building belonged to the famous Amsterdam beguinage, Het Begijnhof, when it was used as a laundry. Later the building was split off from the Begijnhof to be rented to a craftsman.

Antoni Obisji was the first one to sell things out of this building. He was a Venetian glassblower who opened his workshop here in 1577.

In the pictures below you will see Spui 12 on the left side of both drawings. The sketch on the left is from before the filling in of the Spui canal. The one on the right side dates from 1650.


The Amsterdam city council assigned the building at Spui 12 in 1635 to the city's orphanage.

In 1676 the building changed owners. It is not clear who bought it. However, it is known that from this year on many cultural activities were organized at Spui 12.
The famous Dutch author Multatuli remembered how when he was a boy book auctions were held in this building (source: De digitale bibliotheek de Nederlandse Letteren http://www.dbnl.org/). One can say that this foreshadowed the arrival of The American Book Center, many years later.

In 1851 the Harmony Society (Vereeniging de Eensgezindheid) occupied it. And in 1881 a literary society called 'Vereeniging Flanor' was founded here. Until 1883 the building was called 'Wapen van Bern' (Bern's Coat of Arms).

During this time the building was also used by an architectural society, as you can read in this entry from the yearbook 1919 of the 'Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde' (Dutch Literature Association):

'In Amsterdam, on the 23rd of August 1855, the 'Architectura Amicitia' society was founded. This association, where young architects meet, still exists today. In wintertime, the society held its evening meetings every fortnight in the small anteroom of the Harmony building, located on the corner of the Nieuwe Zijds Voorburgwal and Spui, that were both still canals during that time.'

In 1882 they filled in the Spui canal.


As provided in the statutes of the literary society, when no members were left, the building would be turned over to the Diacese of the Dutch Reformed Congregation.

In 1907, the deacon of the Dutch Reformed Congregation (Nederduitse Hervormde Gemeente) began to use Spui 12 for meetings about how to decorate the buildings they owned, how to operate the orphanages and old folks' homes and how to put the offerings to good use. The space was also rented to other societies for meetings and concerts.


Spui 10 - 12, in the year 1900. You can clearly see the Harmony Building on the corner.

In 1924, a machine shop used the ground floor of the Harmony Building, while a jewelry store occupied the top floor.

In 1932 harmonious tunes begin to float through the building when music store Bender moved in, after giving the shop a thorough make over.
From 1997 until April 2006 Ypma sell their world famous pianos out of the Harmony Building. During this time famous and not-so-famous musicians perform at their store.


The American Book Center bought one of the Ypma pianos which we will place in the new bookstore.
That way, ABC will keep the music going and Spui 12 will keep on swinging!


In October 2006, The American Book Center will open its doors here and invite you to come browse our incredible new store in this landmark building which oozes history and tradition, after a surprising renovation.

The young architects who met there in 1855 could only have dreamt that the building would be so transformed!

We hope to supply you with books and inspiration for many years to come, with all of our heart and in close Harmony.

By: Klaartje ten Berge
Translation: Hans Vierdag Jansen

28/04 demolition crew in action