Witte de Withstraat Tram Stop

Most people don’t look twice at a bus or tram stop, as they are usually just generic components of the urban setting. What does get noticed, though, is if a transit hub up and disappears. That’s exactly what happened at the Museumplein, or Museumpark, in Rotterdam. And they would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for John Blake.

In 1994, the “Witte de Withstraat” tram stop was removed by the RET, Rotterdam’s transit authority, as it seemed unnecessary given the amount of alternative stops in the area. There was an uproar from local storeowners and the museums on the square, and the RET, surprised out the outburst, reinstated the stop the following year. But one artist—John Blake— decided to double-down on the artistic community’s commitment to the tram stop.