Huis De Dolphijn, Renaissance canal house at Singel, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Huis De Dolphijn is a Renaissance residence along the Singel canal featuring two identical stepped gables decorated with ornate rolling details typical of late 16th-century design. The structure occupies numbers 140-142 and displays the characteristic features of canal house architecture from that period.
The house was built in the late 16th century and reflects the architectural characteristics of that period. From 1640 to 1642, Frans Banning Cocq owned the residence during the same years when Rembrandt was working on his famous painting The Night Watch.
The house is named after the dolphin, and its interior shows preserved craftsmanship through a vaulted stucco hall, decorated plaster ceilings, and a late 19th-century chimney. These details reveal how much care former residents invested in their living spaces.
The building is located at Singel 140-142, within easy walking distance from Amsterdam's central station and easily reached by local transport. The flat terrain makes it comfortable to explore on foot while taking in the canal house architecture around the area.
The building was originally connected to Herengracht 125 through a rear passageway, spanning across two canals as a single property. This type of interconnected design was an early example of innovative canal house planning.
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