From films and bingo to spectacular art
For many years, a striking building across from the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam has stood empty. The eight bold red letters spelling out ‘Monopole’ were removed from the façade decades ago, yet the building is still widely known by the name it carried between 1938 and 1968: Monopole. As of September 2025, following a storied history and years of vacancy, the building will finally be given a new lease on life. Monopole will become a sister location to the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, offering a place to experience spectacular art.
Before 1921: From Distillery to the ‘Red Attic’
Most residents of Schiedam remember Monopole as a cinema. But its history goes back further. Before the cinema was built in 1921, the site housed a distillery, a warehouse, and a printing workshop. Between 1901 and 1908, one of these buildings was used by the Schiedam branch of the Social Democratic Workers’ Party, earning it the local nickname ‘De Roode Zolder’ (‘The Red Attic’). The neighbouring former distillery served temporarily as an auction house.
Would you like to read personal stories and memories from the people of Schiedam about the Monopole?
Stories from Schiedam
Keeping up with the trend – building a new cinema
In 1921, photographer Arie Dettmeijer (1884–1967) purchased the corner buildings at Hoogstraat 99 and Appelmarkt 2-4. This was an era when cinemas were a big hit. The number of cinemas in the Netherlands was rapidly increasing, and riding this wave, Dettmeijer decided to open a cinema himself. However, this required a new building. Architect Arie Stahlie (1878–1934) was commissioned to design the new cinema.
Before construction and opening, Dettmeijer made quite a fuss. He invited all Schiedam residents to contribute ideas for the name of the new cinema by dropping suggestions into a special mailbox. Eventually, the jury selected the name ‘Pandora’, which sparked a lively debate in the newspapers. For example, a Schiedam resident wrote in the Schiedamsche Courant on 21 February 1921: “I say, although I am no competitor, I’m really not content with the name Pandora.” Nevertheless, Dettmeijer ignored the criticism, and Pandora became the name of the new cinema.
The start of construction attracted a lot of attention in Schiedam. On 19 April 1921, Hendrika van der Hammen laid the first stone, coinciding with her twelfth birthday. Six months later, in September 1921, Pandora finally opens its doors.
From Pandora, to City, to… Monopole
Despite the spectacular start of his cinema, Dettmeijer gave up after four years. Pandora changed owners several times, and the cinema’s name changed twice. In 1934, it became known as City, and in 1938 it was renamed Monopole. This remained the cinema’s name for thirty years.
From the late thirties onwards, the number of visitors increased. Even during 1940 to 1945, the cinema remained open, offering Schiedam residents a temporary escape from the horrors of war and occupation. However, the cinema was compelled to screen propaganda films commissioned by the occupiers. After the war years, visitor numbers declined. Because of this the owner took a different approach. From the fifties onwards he primarily showed westerns and fight films, hoping to attract a larger audience.
This is the Monopole that many Schiedam residents still remember. Those who visited the cinema in the fifties and sixtiess mainly watched adventure and western films. This earned the Monopole a somewhat bad reputation among some locals. For them, it was too noisy and overcrowded, with troublemakers often hanging around outside. These residents preferred the more refined Passagetheater.
After Monopole: from disco and party venue to bingo hotspot
In 1968, the cinema officially closed its doors. From that moment on a period began during which various Schiedam residents tried different uses for the building, but none lasted. In the seventies it briefly operated as a nightclub. From 1977, the Sitton Dance School established itself there, and many current Schiedam residents still remember this very well. Later it also served as a party venue. In the nineties the building was a popular place to play bingo. The bingo nights were both beloved and notorious. There was even talk of genuine ‘bingo terror’: several nights a week buses would travel to Schiedam for these bingo events.
In 2002, the municipality of Schiedam purchased the building. In the years that followed, there were many temporary cultural projects and initiatives. Plenty of Schiedam residents wanted to find a good purpose for the building and ideas were abundant. But ultimately, little progress was made during all those years.
Monopole today
That is, until today. Two local funds have taken an interest in the fate of Monopole. Schiedam Vlaardingen e.o. fund first invested in the renovation of the building. Later, together with the Schiedam-based De Groot Fund, they invested in repurposing it as an exhibition space for the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam. The Schiedam bakery, Bakkerette, has also found a home here. A new chapter for Monopole has begun!
