The Louwman Collection at The National Automobile Museum of the Netherlands is a dream realized for vintage car collectors and ardent fans of automobiles that number in the many thousands worldwide. Michael Graves & Associates, an architectural practice known for its adaptation of revival of historic structures designed a formal, Dutch-style building with steeply sloped peaked roofs and dormers situated next to the Queen’s Palace in Den Haag.
The museum’s exterior is typical of the pre-modern carriage house while breaking down the scale in respect to the nearby residential district.
One of the more stunning features is the brick woven pattern accented with bluestone details surrounded by a slate roof and interior’s height is achieved with a large barrel arched over wooden coffered ceiling. The cars are exhibited by category include a Chrysler Town and Country, a Cadillac owned by Elvis Presley, a 1922 American LaFrance Aerial Type 31/6 hook and ladder fire truck. Let’s not forget the Bugatti’s, Ferrari’s, professional racing cars, and that novelty the Brooke Swan Car of 1910, commissioned by a wealthy British engineer Robert Nicoll Mattewson who shipped it to Swan Park, Calcutta.
The building at 185,000 sq. ft. is also home to the world’s largest collection of automotive art. Workshops for conservation and repairs are on the premises. With the exception of hopping in and driving out the door in one of these beauties, viewing the 230 cars is one fantasy that has the added benefit seeing the museum’s classical design that compliments the elegance of The Louwman Collection.
Visit: http://www.louwmanmuseum.nl/
Visit: http://www.michaelgraves.com/
