On the Coolsingel
Rotterdam already had plans for a world trade center in 1968. Ultimately, it was decided to transform the Beursgebouw on the Coolsingel into a World Trade Center, with a 90-meter-high, gray-green glass tower, which became an architectural beacon in the city. The old Stock Exchange building at the foot of the tower dates from 1940 and was the fourth Stock Exchange in a row since the first Rotterdam Stock Exchange opened in 1597, literally around the corner. The commercial spirit has prevailed for more than four centuries on these square meters, in the center of the city where 'the shirts are sold with the sleeves already rolled up'.
