Amsterdam’s Crystal Palace – a forgotten example of British engineering (1858-1864)

This paper’s theme is the construction of the Amsterdam Crystal Palace (Paleis voor Volksvlijt), an exhibition building inspired by London’s Crystal Palace. The Amsterdam palace was built between 1858 and 1864 only to burn to the ground in 1929. Although during and after construction the initiators took pains to make it look like a product of Dutch industry, it could not have been built without English input. Architect Cornelis Outshoorn and the initiators did not reveal that they had called on London-based engineers Rowland Mason Ordish and William Henry Le Feuvre for the structural calculations. The iron for the main structure also came from England: from foundries in York and Birmingham. Dutch foundries only joined in immediately prior to completion of the main structure, making it look as if the Amsterdam building was a product of Dutch industry. Due to Cornelis Outshoorn’s ill-considered design, construction in Amsterdam took no less than six years. The preserved ironwork specifications, which total some 55pages, provide insight into the complicated construction concept, which consisted of many unique components. As a result, serial production was impossible