404years after discovering New York, latter-day Dutch pioneers have returned to transform a historic loft building at 404 Park Avenue South into exquisite condominiums – replete with a distinctive Dutch twist.
An exceptional team has been assembled by award-winning Dutch property developers Kroonenberg Groep, known for their commitment to quality and attention to detail. It consists of renowned Dutch designer Piet Boon; celebrated Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf; and New York construction management firm, Sciame.
With passion and expertise – and drawing from a rich heritage – they are creating the epitome of Dutch sophistication and luxury. Huys, at 404 Park Avenue South in the heart of Manhattan’s vibrant NoMad neighborhood, is the vanguard of a Dutch renaissance in New York City.
Huys (pronounced ‘house’) derives from Stadt Huys, the Old Dutch for City Hall. New York’s first Stadt Huys was built in 1642 by William Kieft, the Director-General of Nieuw Nederland (New Netherlands). In modern Dutch, Huys is spelled Huis and means ‘house’ or ‘home’.
The combination of unique geography and flat topography in the Netherlands gives the country its extraordinary, world-famous light. It’s a light different from anywhere else in the world: a light beautifully captured in the still-life paintings and landscapes by 17th-century artists such as Vermeer and Rembrandt, and a phenomenon that continues to inspire Dutch artists and designers to this day. In fact, this relationship with light plays a major role in the design concept for Huys.
The Dutch are renowned worldwide for design – design that is synonymous with innovation, superior craftsmanship, and excellent quality. Not only are they designers and builders of creative projects large and small, but they are also at the heart of some of the most ambitious real estate developments around the globe. They literally built much of their own country by reclaiming land from the sea. And more recently, developed cutting-edge engineering to create highly sophisticated flood defenses that protect their low-lying nation from the sea.
Where there are problems, they find solutions. Out-of-the-box thinking is instinctive. When it comes to the seemingly impossible, the Dutch never say never. They take a straightforward approach to design. Their premise is simple yet powerful – and a potent tour de force when combined with an attention-to-detail sensibility. They also know when not to take things too seriously and possess an idiosyncratic sense of humor that recognizes the beauty of whimsy and the unexpected, that is evident in their work.