Stadhouderskade 31-35, Townhouse in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Stadhouderskade 31-35 is a row of five brick townhouses in Amsterdam, set along the southern edge of the city center. They stand at two or three stories with basements and attics, and their facades mix rounded window tops, white paint on two of the houses, and small gaps separating them from the taller neighbors.

Designed by Nicolaas Wezel and built around 1881 for landowner A.H. De Klerk, the row was first rejected by the city because it did not fit the street plan. Over time, extra floors were added to some houses, and one served as a gathering place for police union members.

The house at number 31 has been used as a café or restaurant since 2015, so people now sit and eat inside a space that was once a private home. At number 34, the former police workers’ union office gives a hint of how these rooms adapted to city life beyond family use.

The houses are easy to view from the sidewalk along the canal side, and because they sit slightly lower than the buildings next to them, the whole row is visible at once. Walking here is straightforward, with flat pavement and good sight lines for looking at the facades.

A carved first stone on one facade still names A.H. de Klerck as a landowner and American railroad expert, a detail easy to miss from the street. That link between Amsterdam bricks and American railways is an odd pairing remembered only in the stone.