The Coymanshuis is a

canal house A canal house ( nl, grachtenpand) is a (usually old) house overlooking a canal. These houses are often slim, high and deep. Canal houses usually had a basement and a loft and attic where trade goods could be stored. A special beam or pulley in ...

on the

Keizersgracht The Keizersgracht (; "Emperor's canal") is a canal in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is the second of the three main Amsterdam canals that together form the Grachtengordel, or canal belt, and lies between the inner Herengracht and outer Prinsengr ...

177,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. The double wide house was designed and built in 1625 by

Jacob van Campen Jacob van Campen (2 February 1596 - 13 September 1657) was a Dutch artist and architect of the Golden Age. Life He was born into a wealthy family at Haarlem, and spent his youth in his home town. Being of noble birth and with time on his hand ...

for two brothers, traders/bankers; one had six the other ten children. Their company delt in silver, iron and tar. It is Van Campen's first design in Amsterdam and was an important stepping stone to gaining the commission for the Amsterdam City Hall, today the

Royal Palace of Amsterdam The Royal Palace of Amsterdam in Amsterdam (Dutch: ''Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam'' or ) is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which are at the disposal of the monarch by Act of Parliament. It is situated on the west side of Dam Square i ...

. He designed it for Balthasar Coymans (1589 - 1657) and his brother Johannes Coymans (1601 - 1657). The house was praised by the writer-architects Cornelis Danckerts de Ry and

Salomon de Bray Salomon de Bray (1597 – 11 May 1664) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and architect. Biography De Bray was born in Amsterdam, but established himself in Haarlem before 1617, where he is registered as being a member of the schutterij that y ...

in their book ''Architectura Moderna'' in 1631. They claimed that all visitors to the city should see this building if they appreciate architecture. The house and office was home to various members of the Coymans family until it was inhabited by Jan Pieter Theodoor Huydecoper in 1759. In 1780 it was inhabited by his nephew Jan Elias Huydecoper. In 1887 it was sold to the city of Amsterdam, serving for a long time as a secondary school. Since 2003 it is an office building, sheltering the Netherlands headquarters of Amnesty International and since 2014 also other, related organizations.

References

{{Coord, 52, 22, 28.12, N, 4, 53, 8.53, E, scale:1563_type:landmark, display=title Rijksmonuments in Amsterdam Neoclassical architecture in the Netherlands Houses completed in 1625 1625 establishments in the Dutch Republic