The Building
De Hallen are located in the middle of Oud-West just behind the Kinkerstraat and adjacent to the Ten Katemarkt. Since 1905, the place has served as a tram depot for decades and since 2014 De Hallen has been a vibrant center for fashion, art, culture, hospitality and craft. De Hallen is a National Monument.
Eat Drink
Taste the best that Amsterdam has to offer in the Foodhallen. Inspired by the indoor food markets of Copenhagen, Madrid and London, you will find a collection of the most tasteful and varied cuisines in this atmospheric hall. Behind the Foodhallen you will find the Kanarie Club, a spacious restaurant with a lovely terrace, and Remise47, the restaurant of Hotel de Hallen. Enjoy a delicious cup of coffee and a good book in the Belcampo reading café, the living room of the neighborhood.
Art & Culture
De Filmhallen, the cinema situated in De Hallen, with its 9 screens is a must-see for every film lover. Visit the special ‘Parisienzaal’, which houses the historic interior of film pioneer Jean Desmet’s Cinema Parisien (1924). Diagonally opposite De FilmHallen you’ll find Beeldend Gesproken, a gallery for contemporary art. Do you see something beautiful that catches your eye? Check inside for more information about buying or renting the artwork. There is also a Public Library (OBA) in De Hallen. You can find it right across Beeldend Gesproken.
The working heart
The tram depot with its workshops used to be the ‘working heart’ of the neighborhood. In De Hallen nowadays there is also a lot of attention for the recruitment and training of professionals and especially for social enterprises. Recycle is a bicycle shop and workshop where people with a psychiatric background are being trained to become a bicycle repairer. Denim City brings together knowledge, innovation and professionals from the denim world. This includes the Jean School, a ROC training that works closely with major international fashion brands. The hairdressers of the future will gain practical experience at the Kinki Academy’s Young Bloods education program. There is much more to see and do in De Hallen. An overview of all companies situated in De Hallen can be found here [link to list of tenants].
Architecture
De Hallen were designed by the Public Works Department. Commissioned by the municipality of Amsterdam, this department was involved in designing buildings with a public function from 1850 to 1980: bridges, schools, roads, and therefore tram depots. The architects almost always remained anonymous. The complex consists of seven halls and an external carpentry and painting workshop (little passage) and was built between 1901 and 1928 in different phases. The expressive style of the Amsterdam School is prominently represented. This movement in architecture originated in the beginning of the twentieth century and is characterized by an expressive construction method. This is clearly reflected in De Hallen in the frequent use of bricks and the beautiful truss constructions that can be found everywhere in the building. The central passage runs from the Tollensstraat to the Ten Katestraat. This large, bright passage used to be the traversing hall. The trams came in to be guided to one of the cross-halls with the help of special trolleys for storage or repair. In the refurbishment plan, architect André van Stigt made sure that the traces of the original function were kept. For example, tram rails still run through the central passage and on the walls the original stone number signs refer to the halls behind them. Due to the high long saddle roofs, which consists largely of glass, a lot of daylight enters. Partly because of this, De Hallen has a pleasant and spacious feeling, which is closely linked to the vision of the redesign: where the workshops of De Hallen were once closed rooms, the complex is now an open space that is accessible to everyone.