Hirsch & Cie: grandeur on Leidseplein

You may never really have noticed it in passing, but the Hirsch building on Leidseplein is one of 'world city' proportions. It was completed 100 years ago as the department store of the firm Hirsch & Cie, a fashion house selling luxury ready-to-wear clothing for the top end of the market. The building was designed by the Amsterdam architect Jacot, who was also responsible for the Maison de Bonneterie building on the Rokin, for example. Although the Hirsch firm left the building back in 1976, it still quite literally bears their name. On the little tower, elegant lettering gives away the name of the former occupants.

100 years of shopping

In March 2012 Apple opened its first Dutch brand store on two floors of the building. A year earlier the car brand MINI had moved into the building too. Before that, KLM, Hitachi and ABN-AMRO also had a brand store or office here. Because besides shops, there are offices on the five floors and attic of Hirsch. The building is in the hands of a Swedish owner, the Nilsson family.

Developments on Leidseplein

In the years after Apple's arrival in the building, the surroundings were given a thorough makeover. The taxi rank, for instance, disappeared and the square was made more pedestrian-friendly. Also, as in other parts of the city, illuminated advertising is no longer allowed on the building, and with that the grandeur of the building is fully back. Next time you are walking across Leidseplein, take a moment to stop and look up. Yes, Amsterdam is a world city.