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OLYMPIC STADIUM

J. WILS, C. VAN EESTEREN, G. JONKHEID, 1926-1928, Stadionplein, Amsterdam

ARCHITECT(URAL OFFICE):
Jan Wils
Cornelis van Eesteren
Gerrit Jonkheid

RENOVATOR:
André van Stigt

ARTIST:
Gra Rueb

BUILDING TYPE:
Sports centres


RELATED BUILDINGS:
Zuidblok

This stadium was built for the 1928 Olympic Games held in Amsterdam. Its architecture, the work of Jan Wils, betrays the unmistakable influence of Frank Lloyd Wright. The tiers of seating are supported by a concrete structure, their roofs resting on steel lattice girders. A slender tower for carrying the Olympic flame marks the main entrance. This Marathon Tower is 42 metres and 19.5 centimetres tall, one thousandth of the length of the standard marathon distance. In the late 1930s the stadium was enlarged with a concrete second ring which was removed during the restoration. The stadium now contains a café-restaurant, a suite of conference rooms, fitness gyms, a sports museum and commercial premises.