Built in 1733
The buildings of Hotel Des Arts date back to 1733 when it housed residents from the “Maagdenhuis’ girls' orphanage. Construction was in the hands of bricklayer Cornelis Knijff, with the top of the facade designed and carved by master mason Hendrik Pantel.
Throughout history it has been a local landmark, acquiring protected monument status as part of the old Amsterdam city center Unesco World Heritage site. During most of the 20th century the buildings were in use by the antique merchant Abraham Solomon Staal and later his son Solomon Staal. In the 1980s the buildings were first modernized to establish Hotel Des Arts. The buildings were remodeled with updated decor and improved amenities, while highlighting the historical details. Among those details are for example the sculpted wooden passage to the lounge, the hearth in the breakfast room, and the ornate stairwell.
History of our location
The history of the location goes back much further, all the way to the middle ages. Records from 1410 indicate it was home to the St. Joris Guild's Gasthuis leper hospital, at the time situated outside of city limits.
With the expansion of the city including the area after 1480, the lepers were moved outside the new city walls and the site would continue under the name St. Jorishof to tend to the poor and mentally disabled.
In 1624 the chapel of St. Joris Guild, adjacent to the buildings of the current Hotel des Arts, was converted for the St. Joseph's Guild of Carpenters to become the "Kistenmakershuis".