Location
The 'Hof ter Hage' block of flats is located right in the middle of the historical centre of The Hague, where it was developed from the main Post Office and telephone exchange of the former state run PTT (Post Mail Telegraaf Telegraphy Telefoon Telephony). This is the oldest part of The Hague, facing the Grote of Saint Jacobskerk i.e. Grand or Saint James' church. This church' namesake is the apostle James, son of Zebedee, the traditional patron saint of knights and of The Hague city. Hof ter Hage flats and the church are both right on top of an old dune hill. Our Hof ter Hage court is bordered by Kerkplein, Torenstraat, Kleine Nobelstraat and Prinsestraat, and consists of not only nearly one hundred flats, or apartments, but also a number of shops on the ground floor.
Kerkplein is the square between Saint James' church and the Hof ter Hage block of flats.
Torenstraat starts at Saint James' Church tower, hence the Toren or Tower, and continues towards the junction of Noordwal and Bilderdijkstraat streets. The name was chosen in the 19th century to mark one of the larger new streets cutting through the old city, running from Prinsegracht canal to Elandstraat street.
It is likely that a member of the Nobel family was the namesake for Nobelstraat. The Royal Annals from 1458 to 1461 show that the present Nobelstraat was then known as Papestraat, which was later split into two parts in the 19th century. The name of the part closer to Torenstraat was changed from Papestraat to Nobelstraat. Short Kleine Nobelstraat branches off Nobelstraat.
In 1646 the Prinsestraat is then known as Jonge Princestraat (Young Prince street), in honour of William II (1626 - 1650), son of Prince Frederik Hendrik and Amalia van Solms. Initially this street ran from Noordwal to Molenstraat. Only in the eighties of the 19th century was Prinsestraat extended on to Saint James' Church and Kerkplein square.
The building
On the ground floor (or first floor, or level 0 if you like) there are a number of shops, also a Post Office (a remnant of the former use), a branch of Albert Heijn supermarket, a bedroom furniture shop, a hair salon, a shop with hardwood flooring and various fashion boutiques.
On the five upper floors are 97 flats or apartments located, all of various sizes and layouts.
The former construction in the inner courtyard has been demolished. On the first floor (or 2nd floor, or level +1) we have a garden roof of sorts in our inner courtyard, with hedges and trees and all, forming a haven of tranquillity. The courtyard features a striking half open stairwell at the junction of Nobelstraat and Prinsestraat and the pleasant soft sunny yellow on the surrounding walls. Underneath the inner courtyard, on the ground floor, you will find the access court used by the shops and the access path to the car lifts leading to the underground car park.
The former basement of the main Post Office, on level -1, has been changed into a car park. Each flat has the use of at least one parking space in the basement, as well as a large closed storage area. The car park can be reached through an ancient gate in Nobelstraat that now gives access to two car lifts by means of an electronic card.
History
The main parts of the building have been designed by Chief Government Architect Gijsbert Friedhoff (also designed the offices for the Department of Agriculture) in the 1950's for use as main Post Office and telephone exchange. In the 1970's and 80's there was need for new use of the building. The former PTT offices were reconverted into housing and shops, keeping the old façades, as part of the 'Den Haag New Centre' city planning scheme. The former Torenstraat wing was demolished and reconstructed in a style that matched the rest of the building. The renovations were finished in 1998.
A part of the artistic heritage of the PTT offices has been preserved at this location. All five floors of the Torenstraat stairwell have large stained glass windows that depict the evolution of communication technology through the ages. These windows were designed in the 1950´s by glass artist Derk Klaas Broos (1903 - 1991), who has also worked on such windows for Utrecht City Hall and Alphen aan den Rijn Town Hall.
A 3 metre high statue stands on top of the stairwell, designed by the famous monumental sculptor John Rädecker (1885 - 1956), who also designed bas-reliefs for the National Monument on Amsterdam's Dam square. The statue depicts an allegorical female figure, on top of the globe, facing the four corners of the earth and surrounded by carrier pigeons. The statue evokes the role of the former PTT (Post Mail Telegraaf Telegraphy Telefoon Telephony) in global communication.
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