De Hallen From a no-go Area to a Hotspot

Architect André van Stigt describes how a former tram depot has been transformed into a place for leisure, crafts and education.

History and location

Historically, during the late 19th-century expansion of Amsterdam, The Halls (De Hallen, in Dutch), was a tram depot in a closed enclave characterised by long closed brick blocks with monumental facades facing the street. De Hallen was a traditional, functionalist complex, necessary for the maintenance of the first electric trams at the beginning of the 20th century. The complex was hidden between the Ten Kate Market, Kinker Street and Tollens Street, in the middle of a working and lively neighbourhood.

Though an active area, De Hallen was only accessible for those who worked at the tram depot. At the beginning of the 20th century, many people found work here. There were different kinds of workshops in the depot for craftsmen, like wood and metal workshops as well as a forge. There was also a laundry and space for the offices of the company. De Hallen, Amsterdam, is a national monument built in phases between 1901 and 1928 and has some very characteristic design features. The structure of the long halls (7) and the passage at the end is unique. The halls were accessible from two sides.

All doors opened into the transverse hall called the ‘traversing hall’. This housed a locomotive wagon track, so that the trams could be easily moved to another track or hall without changing direction. At the eastern end of the wagon track was a turntable to rotate the trams by 90 degrees and enable them to ride out to Tollens Street through the eastern exit. De Hallen is the only tram depot in the Netherlands, which still has its original characteristic series of roofs.