Rotterdam (May 16, 2024) – Rotterdam residents and visitors can now enjoy a new green haven in the heart of the city as Maaskant Park, located in the courtyard of Groot Handelsgebouw (GHG), will open to the public starting Saturday, May 18, 2024. The park is named after one of the historic building’s architects, Huig Maaskant. The green oasis in the city offers an escape from the urban hustle and bustle.
The park sits on what was previously an elevated street for delivery trucks coming in and out of the building’s premises. Jamestown, the owner of GHG, carried out the green transformation of the street last year, at which time the park was open exclusively to tenants of the building. As part of Jamestown’s vision to make the building more accessible to the wider community, Maaskant Park will now be open to the public as well.
The move comes at a time when the City of Rotterdam is aiming to create more accessible green spaces to improve biodiversity and reduce urban heat stress.
Designed by landscape architect Blooming Buildings, the park features over 500 different plant species, including stachyurus, mahonia, and great camas, as well as brightly colored seating and a pétanque court.
Jamestown marked the public opening of the park earlier today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Joop Polfliet, Director of Public Works for Rotterdam’s Urban Management Department, Gijs Molenaar, Managing Director and Co-Head Jamestown Europe, and Tanja van der Knoop, Founder and Director of Blooming Buildings.
“We want to continue Groot Handelsgebouw’s legacy for a new generation,” said Michael Phillips, President of Jamestown. “Opening Maaskant Park to the public to enjoy fits with our vision to re-establish Groot Handelsgebouw as a center of community life. It’s part of our plan to turn the ground floor into a bustling meeting place that honors the building’s history.”
GHG is home to more than 450 companies and also hosts flexible co-working spaces. Since acquiring the historic building in 2019, Jamestown has been working on continuing its legacy as a platform for Dutch industry and culture by growing the business community and creating new ways for locals and visitors to interact with the building. This includes the re-opening of the rooftop, free public art programming, a collaboration platform for artists and visionaries called The Collision Project, and the repurposing of an area in the parking lot for popular bakery Krozant.
Additionally, Jamestown has invested heavily in making GHG more sustainable through the installation of thermal energy storage and a green roof. GHG is the first national monument in the Netherlands to obtain a four-star designation from BREEAM-NL, an internationally recognized certification that denotes a project's focus on sustainability, cost savings, building health, and future proofing.
Maaskant Park is located at Conradstraat 22, Rotterdam. Opening hours are daily between 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. April-October and daily between 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. November-March.
In addition to Groot Handelsgebouw, Jamestown’s assets in the Netherlands include a portfolio of buildings in Amsterdam’s Schinkel District. Jamestown has a long-term ownership and management perspective and is well known for transforming historic buildings into mixed-use innovation hubs and community centers. Jamestown endeavors to create a global network of innovation hubs focusing on climate tech, media, and gaming.
About Jamestown
Jamestown is a design-focused, vertically integrated real estate investment manager and service provider with over 40 years of experience and a mission to create places that inspire. Since its founding in 1983, Jamestown has executed transactions exceeding $40 billion. As of March 31, 2024, Jamestown has assets under management of $11.6 billion and a portfolio spanning key markets throughout the U.S., Latin America, and Europe. Jamestown employs more than 500 people worldwide with 12 global offices, including headquarters in Atlanta and Cologne. Current and previous projects include One Times Square and Chelsea Market in New York, Industry City in Brooklyn, Ponce City Market in Atlanta, Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco, the Innovation and Design Buildings in Boston and Lisbon, and Groot Handelsgebouw in Rotterdam. For more information, visit www.jamestownlp.com.
