The Blue and The White House, Cultural property in Basel, Switzerland

The Blue and White House are two semi-detached Baroque town mansions at Rheinsprung 16 and 18, also called Reichensteinerhof and Wendelstörferhof. Architect Samuel Werenfels designed them for the Sarasin brothers between 1763 and 1775; the two facades are coordinated but differ in detail. The White House belonged to Lukas Sarasin, the Blue House to his younger brother Jakob.

These buildings were constructed between 1763 and 1775 as residences for brothers Lukas and Jakob Sarasin, who ran a prosperous silk ribbon trading business. This construction period coincided with Basel's economic growth, evident in the elaborate interior appointments.

The buildings display ornate stucco ceilings crafted by Johann Martin Frohweis and ceramic stoves from the Bern-based Frisching manufactory. These decorative elements reflect the wealth and refined taste of the merchant families who commissioned them.

The two mansions at Rheinsprung 16 and 18 now house offices of the Basel-Stadt cantonal administration, including the Department for Economy, Social Welfare and Environment. They are working government buildings, not a museum, so there is no visitor tour and the interiors are not open to the public. The baroque facades can be viewed from the street in Basel's old town, near the Münster.

Lukas Sarasin left behind meticulous records from the construction period that documented worker wages and material expenses. These rare archival accounts allow historians today to understand the economic conditions and building practices of that era.