The foundation stone of Fenix, then called the San Francisco warehouse, was laid during the celebration of the fourth Reconstruction Day of Rotterdam, on 19 May 1950. Mayor Pieter Oud, accompanied by alderman Jan Meertens and engineer J.A.C. Tillema, placed the stone in the heavily damaged San Francisco warehouse as a starting signal for the reconstruction of the warehouse. The stone was preserved after the transformation of Fenix I and can be found in the Fenix passage.
Historical photo from the City Archive, made by Daniël van de Ven
The text on the stone reads:
Opbouwdag 1950
Eerste steen gelegd
MR P J OUD
Burgemeester van Rotterdam
Translated:
Reconstruction Day 1950
Laying the foundation stone
MR P J OUD
Mayor of Rotterdam
Reconstruction Day
During the Reconstruction period, since 1947, the Rotterdam Reconstruction Day was annually celebrated around the 18th of May.
During the 1950 Reconstruction Day, the Rederij Bridge was opened; the first ship was locked in the Leuvesluis; the Rotterdam Pavilion for the Harbour Exhibition was completed; the ground floor of the Groot Handelsgebouw was officially opened; and the first stone of the San Francisco warehouse was laid.
Newspaper: Algemeen Handelsblad, 19 May 1950
