8x Buildings you didn't know were Philips

Most people know that Philips has had a huge impact on the city of Eindhoven. Entire districts were developed during the company's heyday. Strijp-S, and -T and -R, Philipsdorp and iconic buildings such as the Witte Dame and the Natlab. ‘Philips architect’ Dirk Roosenburg has left his mark on many of these projects. But there is more remarkable Philips architecture to be found in Eindhoven. Here’s an overview of eight buildings worth a visit that we also owe to Anton and Gerard Philips.

Former Philips Business School

Since 1920, the Education and People's Development department at Philips has organized the company's training courses. First in a building on the Frederiklaan, but that was irreparably damaged during the Second World War. The new building, designed by Dirk Roosenburg, was completed in 1949. Later, the technical secondary school, the ROC, and Summa College were located here. Diederendirrix transformed the building into 422 homes. And you will find a branch of the famous restaurant Loetje.

Kastanjelaan 1

Temporary Art Centre

The TAC is now a cultural breeding ground, but did you know that the Philips staff shop used to be here? The building opposite the PSV stadium houses about 80 studios and workshops and parties, performances, and exhibitions are regularly organized. Right now, they are temporarily under renovation. Check out TAC's nomadic program here. 

Vonderweg 1

Philips Stadium

On a field of grass between the city and the factories of Strijp-S, Philips founded a sports park for the residents of the Philipsdorp district at the beginning of the last century. On 12 December 1910, the Philips soccer team was founded, the predecessor of PSV. PSV's home base is still here: a soccer stadium with room for 35,150 visitors located in the city center.

Frederiklaan 10

Villa de Laak

De Laak is not freely accessible, but you can see it from the Parklaan. The house from 1907 was commissioned by Anton Philips, who together with his wife Henriëtte was one of the residents. The villa was built by Johan Wilhelm Hanrath, the garden was created by Leonard Springer. If you walk up the Nachtegaallaan, you will see the coach house on your right hand side.

Parklaan 99

Pullman Hotel

In order to be able to welcome guests in luxury, Philips built a large, modern hotel on the Vestdijk. The name of the hotel referred to the land of Kokanje, or Cockaigne, which was rumored to be a paradise. This still is an important hotel in the city, now called Pullman Eindhoven Cocagne.

Vestdijk 47

Evoluon

We all know this iconic UFO. Maybe you came here as a child when the Evoluon was still an educational technology museum. Since 1996 it has been used as a conference center and event location. The Evoluon was gifted to the city by Philips in 1966 when the company celebrated its 75th anniversary. The building has a diameter of 77 meters and was designed by Louis Kalff and Leo de Bever.

North Brabantlaan 1A

Primary school Reigerlaan

Near De Laak, you will also find the first ‘Nutsschool’ in Eindhoven, which since 1915 has been located at the Reigerlaan. In Catholic Eindhoven, the demand for education that is neutral from a religious point of view grew during this period, partly due to the influx of Philips employees from other parts of the Netherlands. It is Anton Philips, among others, who supports the school financially and also has his own children attend school there. The school was designed by architect Hanrath.

Reigerlaan 3

The Observatory

In 1935 the Eindhoven Weather and Astronomical Circle is founded. In the beginning, it was mainly Philips employees with an interest in weather and astronomy, later other members joined. Shortly after its foundation, the desire for an observatory also grew. In 1938 the building process starts in the Stadswandelpark. There, on the outskirts of the city, it was still a really dark place at that time. The design was made by Philips architect Louis Kalff. The observatory is still open to visitors.

Alberdingk Thijmlaan 3

… and great parks

As a counterpart of all these concrete buildings, beautiful parks were created around Eindhoven by Philips. In 1920 Anton Philips and his wife Anna Philips de Jongh gave the Philips de Jongh Park to the municipality of Eindhoven. In 1966, the Philips van Lenneppark was donated to the residents of Eindhoven in honor of the 75th anniversary of Philips. The nearby Philips Fruit Garden dates from the 1930s and was originally a job creation project. During the crisis, employees were able to continue working and employees were provided with fresh fruit.