The history of WTC Rotterdam goes all the way back to 1598, the year the first Rotterdam Stock Exchange was founded. The low-rise structure of the current World Trade Center was designed as a multifunctional exchange complex by architect J.F. Staal and built between 1936 and 1940. It took several hits during the bombing of Rotterdam on May 14, 1940, but the damage was repaired relatively quickly. The green elliptical tower, designed by Rob van Erk and Ab Veerbeek, was completed in 1986. It is essentially a very large roof structure on top of the green copper roof, incorporating more than 21.000 round windows.
