History

The modern and atmospheric Grand Café 1884 is located in a beautiful old building next to the IJ. It’s all in the name, the building dates from 1884. The same year in which the Statue of Liberty was completed in France and was given to the United States as a gift, the image that symbolizes freedom and also serves as a sign of welcoming everyone: returning Americans, guests and immigrants. We want to open Grand Café 1884 to our guests with the same line of thought, that they feel welcome and would like to come back again because of the ultimate hospitality they have experienced! 

History of the building

Grand Café 1884 is located in a building erected in 1884. The same year the Statue of Liberty was completed in France and donated to the United States of America. The statue which is a symbol of freedom and above all a sign of welcome to everyone. In that line of thought we want to open Grand Café 1884 for our guests in order to achieve a feeling of welcome and guests want to return as a result of the ultimate hospitality they experienced. The little crown on the “e” in our logo refers to the crown on the Statue of Liberty.
 
The building “De Zeevaart” (Maritime shipping) was designed by the Frisian architect IJme Gerardus Bijvoets Gzn. (1837-1901) who settled in Amsterdam as a building expert in 1866. The building had a combined residential and professional function. On the groundfloor a carriage shed and workshop were located. The basement was a well isolated ice-house to store meat and fish. In 1924 the building was obtained by the Scheepvaart en Steenkolen Maatschappij (Shipping and Coal Company) and rebuild into office space. Later the ground floor served a.o. as garage, workshop, travel agency and café-restaurant. Currently our Grand Café 1884 is located here.