The house with the Golden Chain

Our office building has quite a history. In 2003, we were among the first occupants after the building had collapsed on 11th February 1998. The house was originally built in 1620.

In the 18th century, the building was rumoured to be a haunted house: strange noises were heard by people passing the building. Some believe that these noises are caused by the ghost of the widow of Rauws, director-general of the City buildings. She hung herself after Rauws had been killed in a fire in the theater on the Keizersgracht.

In 1971, numbers 268 and 270 merged and the buildings were transformed into a hotel. Small rooms were constructed within the buildings, creating a potential fire hazard. In 1995, the fire department declared that the building was a fire hazard and it had to close down. Soon after squatters occupied the buildings and things went from bad to worse: the squatters were evicted and criminal activity took over. The houses were stripped and their materials sold on the construction market. Even the slabs of lead preventing leakage were sold off and the building’s appearance became shabbier. Complaints from the neighbours about the anti-social tenants lead to nothing. This changed in 1996 when fire was set to 270 and the Mayor ordered the entrances to the buildings to be sealed by bricks.

From 1997 several contractors attempted to have the buildings rebuilt into nine luxury apartments whilst keeping the façade intact. A lack of subsidies and strict guidelines from the Dutch Monument Commission complicated matters. Six months after the necessary permits were obtained, restoration was in full swing. On the morning of Wednesday 11th February, construction workers fled the building after hearing strange noises and dust came twirling down from the ceilings. Thirty minutes later the building collapsed.

In 1620 a German cloth merchant assigned the construction of this house after fleeing his homeland. It is said that all his possessions were lost en route except for a packet of cloth held in place by a metal chain. Either as a reminder or out of sheer happiness that not all was lost, the merchant had part of this chain plated with gold. He hung it on the façade which gave the house the nickname “The house with the Golden Chain”.