Long ago Boekenroode stood proudly. It wasn’t always the place you see today. Its story stretches back centuries. It began in the late 16th century. Cornelia Jacobsdr van Huessen and her husband Jan Gijsbrechtsz Crabbemors owned the land. After her death in 1620 Outgert Pietersz a former alderman of Haarlem became the new owner. The name Boekenroode formally appears then.
He expanded and beautified the farmstead. It became a grand manor house. In 1662 Pieter de Groot a prominent Amsterdam diplomat bought Boekenroode. He paid a hefty sum of 24000 guilders. The estate included a house stables a carriage house a pond an orchard and a considerable amount of pasture and hay land. De Groot had a private lane built. This allowed access to a jetty on the Leidse Vaart canal. This canal was newly dug in 1657.
Diederik Dikx a Haarlem mayor acquired Boekenroode in 1683. He added a bowling green in the west and a tea pavilion. He also walled the vegetable garden. After his death the property remained with his family for nearly 15 years. Attempts to sell it in 1724 failed. Gilles van Bempden a former alderman and later mayor of Amsterdam bought Boekenroode in 1734. He also acquired the smaller estate Achter Koekkoek.
Van Bempden’s mother Esther Elizabeth Tulp inherited Boekenroode. She had already inherited Knapenburg near Berkenrode. She improved the large stable in 1747. She added a beautiful Renaissance-style facade. She also commissioned the construction of the still existing cupola. Jonas Witsen purchased Boekenroode in 1770. Jan Nicolaas van Eys a merchant and magistrate bought it in 1789. He transformed the park from a geometric design to a more natural landscape. He employed the landscape architect JG Michael for this project. The estate was then 200 acres.
After Van Eys’s death in 1818 Boekenroode went to Jacobus Abraham van Lennep. His father managed it until his son came of age. In 1870 the children of Jacobus Abraham sold it to his oldest daughter Margaretha Catharina. She lived there with her two unmarried brothers and her daughter. In 1893 Pieter Teding van Berkhout bought Boekenroode at auction. He had rented it previously. Architect Foeke Kuiper enlarged the house in 1907. Leonard Anthony Springer redesigned the gardens. The family lived there until 1923.
The Franciscan Sisters of the St Franciscus monastery in Heemstede bought Boekenroode in 1924. They used it as a retirement home and novitiate. They extended the manor house. A part of the land was developed with villas. Today the site houses apartments. The history of Boekenroode is a rich tapestry woven from centuries of ownership and change. It’s a story of grand estates diplomatic dealings and religious communities. Each owner leaving their mark on this unique Amsterdam estate.