Helmond is home to 18 remarkable cube houses, designed by the renowned architect Piet Blom. Although less well-known than their counterparts in Rotterdam, these unique homes originally formed an ensemble with the theatre ‘Het Speelhuis’. Unfortunately, this theater was destroyed by a devastating fire in 2011, but was later rebuilt in a former church a little further on.
The construction of the first cube houses attracted worldwide attention, with mentions in American magazines describing them as “giant dice.” When the first houses were completed, there was a lot of interest, with about twenty people interested in the three houses that were the first to be built. But as more houses came up for sale, interest diminished and there were not enough buyers for all 18 homes.
After the completion of the cube houses, the opening of the theatre followed, which was just as idiosyncratically designed. ‘Het Speelhuis’ consisted of 37 cubes and included three halls, the largest of which could accommodate 430 seats. The theater also contained a café called ‘Blom en Sanders’, in honor of architect Piet Blom and visual artist Har Sanders.
Although the original ensemble of cube houses and theatre has changed, the iconic cube houses can still be admired in Helmond, as a lasting tribute to Piet Blom’s unique design and creative vision.
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