In 1950, a bank of the Nederlandsche Handelsmaatschappij (NHM) opened at Blaak 34, founded in 1824 on the initiative of King Willem I to revive Dutch trade after the French era. This bank building was designed just after the war by the Rotterdam architects AA van Nieuwenhuyzen and Cornelis Elffers, because the predecessor of this building was heavily damaged during the bombing of May 1940. The building, together with the adjacent bank buildings of the Twentsche Bank (Blaak 28) and the former Amsterdamsche Bank/Incassobank (Blaak 40), is one of the first buildings to be built after the war, because banks and insurers were the only institutions that had enough money. to rebuild quickly without government support. These three buildings together form one ensemble, because they are placed on one building line, have the same building height (24 m) and are coordinated in colour. In 2010, the building received the status of a national monument. The entrance is equipped with a raised staircase landing, with a bronze one at the front emblem The NHM, designed by Nel Klaassen, has been installed. On the left side of the facade, there is an additional entrance through two bronze doors. Above this entrance are two sculpted women, symbolizing prudence and fidelity. The woman on the left holds a mirror in her hands—the symbol of Prudentia—to observe herself, after which, through prudence and wisdom, she can make the right choices. The woman on the right carries a small dog on her forearm, a symbol of fidelity. The sculptures were created by Hank Hans, who frequently collaborated with Cornelis Elffers. The sculptures were likely created in close consultation and they mark the entrance in a classical way, in a balanced interplay with the stone ornaments and columns as supports. Above a side entrance of this building on Posthoornstraat is a money carrier and key keeper by sculptor Hans Petri.
