V&D in Alkmaar was built in 1925. During that time this department store ignited the commercial life in Laat, the shopping street. Since then almost every adult citizen of Alkmaar has a (childhood) memory of the spatial experience of this building. The initially compact building underwent three significant expansions, resulting in a large architectural presence in the fine scaled historic city center of Alkmaar. The first expansion in 1933 was a clear continuation of the original architectural style the initial building was built in. The level of detail in this art-deco style was replicated in the new spaces of this expansion. The expansions that followed were relatively sober and focused on the commercial function of a warehouse rather than the architectural details and the spatial experience.