The Blue and The White House

The Blue and the White House, also called Reichensteiner and Wendelstörferhof, are two adjoining mansions on Rheinsprung 16 and 18 in the city of Basel.

The Blue and the White House are among the largest and most important examples of the Basel Baroque architecture. The two coordinated but differentiated in detail houses were built together from 1763 to about 1775 for the brothers Luke and Jacob Sarasin and their silk ribbon factory. The designs came from the architect and builder Samuel Werenfels. The White House was Luke (1730-1802) and the Blue House to his younger brother Jacob ( 1742-1802 ). Descendants of the family founded the Bank Sarasin & Cie. in Basel.

The Lukas Sarasin meticulously guided Baurechnungsbuch the years 1763-75 can be found not only wages for craftsmen and material costs. It also includes the names of the artists who created the magnificent interior decoration. In the Blue House stucco ceilings by Johann Martin Weis and stoves Glad the faience factory Frisching are preserved in Bern, also a large number of paintings over the doors, called lintels, most of which were supplied by German painters.

The building came in 1942 and 1968 in the hands of the municipality of the city of Basel. Today they house offices of the government and the administration of the Canton of Basel-Stadt.