History of The Complex
It was built from July 29, 1730 to 1733 from the legacy of the Haarlem thread-seller Ysbrand Staats. He left his entire legacy to the poor, and his brother took charge of building this hofje after he died. The first hofje to be built in the 18th century, the executors visited Alkmaar under the leadership of architect Abraham Kleijn, to visit the "new style hofje" Wildemans. In former times hofjes were built in the back gardens of larger homes of the wealthy donors. In 1730 the new style hofjes were luxurious complexes with fancy gateway buildings directly on the street. The original gateway house of this hofje still stands, but no longer functions as the home of a governing regent, but as a storefront. It is certainly grander than the Wildeman's hofje, but was itself surpassed as the fanciest hofje in Haarlem by the Teylers Hofje.
Read more about this topic: Hofje Van Staats
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