The story of The Manor
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Linnaeusstraat 89
Today, Aedes is mainly known as a hospitality specialist and hotel owner. With the hotels in Durgerdammerdijk and Amstel 111 in Amsterdam, we are also going to operate the hotels ourselves for the very first time. That journey started somewhere: it began when we were developing the Civilian Hospital on Linnaeusstraat in Amsterdam, into the Manor Hotel.
- Opening Year
- 2011
- Aedes' Role
- Investor & Developer
- Status
- Sold in 2018
- Function
- Hotel
Move to Linneausstraat
Doctor Anton Berns and his wife Woltera van Rees settled in Amsterdam in 1876. They both came from prosperous, developed and socially involved families and they were immediately shocked by the appalling state of healthcare in Amsterdam. Anton Berns developed plans for the construction of a hospital where ordinary people could receive good care. His plan soon won the backing of Abraham Carel Wertheim, a wealthy banker and politician who financially supported many social projects. Through advertisements in newspapers he successfully organised a crowdfunding appeal. It was thanks to this determination that Berns was able to realise the first Civilian Hospital on the Keizergracht in 1879.
As soon as its doors were open, the Civilian Hospital became very popular, patient numbers grew fast and after a few years there was already a need to expand. A plot of land was bought on the Linnaeusstraat, on the eastern edge of the city. In order to raise funding, a lottery was organized which offered works by the famous artists Breitner, Israel, Koekkuek, Maris and Mesdag as prizes. The prominent architect A.L. van Gendt, best known for his design of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, was commissioned to design a modern hospital. This building was opened in 1891 and was used as a hospital for exactly one hundred years; the last patient left the hospital in 1991.
From city district office to hotel
The Amsterdam Oost city district offices move into the Civilian Hospital building, following a major renovation in 1992. Ten years later, the city district offices plan to construct a brand-new office complex and the hospital building is sold. By 2006 it is in Aedes’ possession and we rent it to the district for another three years while their offices are being built. The reasons for the purchase are the flexible character of the building and its huge potential. We partner up with Eden Hotels for the development and operation of the Civil Hospital as a hotel. Once the transformation is completed in 2011, The Manor opened with 125 rooms, a café-restaurant and meeting rooms.
First Dutch hotel with thermal storage system
The facades of the building were in good condition and were restored, but left as they were. The old staircase was restored to its original condition and the entrance hall has been returned to its former glory including the ornamental plasterwork. In order to accommodate 33 extra rooms, we raised the roof of the middle part of the building by 80 centimetres without disturbing the building's appearance.
In terms of sustainability, we took various measures to achieve the lowest possible energy consumption. The most striking intervention was the installation of a thermal energy storage system. This was the first time in the Netherlands that such a system had been used in a hotel. Other environmental measures included, among other things, roof-top facilities for breeding colonies of migratory swifts and building special tiles to accommodate sparrows' nests in the construction of the eaves.
Our other places with partners
We know that incredible things happen when you work together. But we don’t partner with just anyone. We look for collaborators who share our values – who understand the importance of having a positive, lasting social impact, and an eye for detail. We believe our partnerships should provide the best possible solutions for the building, the occupants, the community, and the surrounding environment.
