"For a while in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Houthandel van de Vijsel was an unusual Amsterdam landmark, a timber and hardware shop around which had grown an upscale residential neighborhood. For a while it sat vacant, but now, thanks to hotelier Arjen van den Hof and architect Minke Wagenaar, the spirit of the place — and many of its original beams, in fact — lives on as the Hotel van de Vijsel." - Mark Fedeli
