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TOWN HALL AND OPERA HOUSE AMSTERDAM (STOPERA)
W. HOLZBAUER, C.G. DAM, 1979-1987, Waterlooplein, Amsterdam
Stadhuis en Muziektheater Amsterdam (Stopera)  / Town Hall and Opera House Amsterdam (Stopera) ( W. Holzbauer, C.G. Dam )
© 2006 Jan Derwig
Two major competitions for a new town hall (1937 and 1968) and a design for an opera house by Holt and Bijvoet (1971) resulted in 1979 in a city hall and opera house combined, based on an idea by the new competition winner, Wilhelm Holzbauer. Both space and costs were saved by wrapping the L-shaped office section around the opera auditorium. The sheer size of this autonomous urban block, the facade architecture and the element of compromise unleashed a storm of protest from townspeople and architects alike, which subsided as building progressed.