All You Need is a Little Paint and Some Imagination

In the United States especially on the east cost, demolition of historic structures has become a very controversial topic, with many developers and communities clashing with very different perspectives and agendas. There’s a lot to be learned from experiments that other cities around the world are going through. The borough of Delfshaven located in Rotterdam is the second largest municipality (population wise) in the Netherlands. The buildings pictured above were (and still are) slated for demolition. The borough asked the well known Dutch artist, Florentijn Hofman to come up with a plan for the derelict block of buildings. His solution? Paint them bright blue! The catch is that the buildings will stay blue and intact until there’s a new plan for the area. Since this particular section of houses built in the early 20th century have been painted blue, the most unseen block in the city has become Rotterdam’s most photographed one. It provokes viewers to see the surrounding buildings and engage with the architecture but furthermore it moves them to decide what role the buildings have in the community. This project certainly puts the repercussions of demolition in perspective while attracting visitors who bring life back to the neighborhood while the future of the area is being planned. Who knows, maybe the buildings will be preserved as-is to continually liven the community, attracting painters, photographers and tourists to the unique spectacle.