Thomas van Nielen of In Toom is very proud of this assignment. ‘The client gave us the confidence to take care of this National Monument from 1881 in a professional and careful manner. The design was worked out together with the client. Building should be a party in our eyes and that was the case from beginning to end. Also thanks to the client who wanted to restore the house to its former glory. For this she pulled out all the stops. And so did we. The end result is magnificent!

The property was in need of a thorough renovation. Its construction supervision was in the hands of In Toom. ‘Despite the many surprises we encountered during the process, we constructively transformed this mansion back to 2021 with a team of craftsmen in one year. Exactly in the time we had agreed with each other beforehand.’

150 years of previous renovations, weather and wind had done the property no favors. Thus the facades heroed outward with all the consequences. The monumental mansion is fully insulated and equipped with new (technical) installations and therefore enormously preserved.

Furthermore, In Toom and an extensive team of specialists restored the authentic and original elements of the monument. ‘Particularly satisfying,’ Thomas says enthusiastically. ‘The result fits exactly with the eclectic and neo-Renaissance architectural style of the mansion. We naturally kept this style where different materials, old and modern materials, colors and textures are combined in a subtle way. This makes the house unique and monumental. As the construction supervisor, I constantly kept an eye on things. Nothing was allowed to detract from the historic value of the property.’

A sometimes complicated process, which required good consultation between the client, the municipality and subject matter experts – certainly not “handymen,” and that is why it was so important for the project to be completed. ‘In Toom was the point of contact in this process and the link between preparation, execution and control. This requires a lot of experience, flexibility and communication.’ The client was very pleased with the final result. The Mansion in Leiden is back on the map for years to come. An extraordinary house to live in, comfortable and adventurous. What do you want with 150 years of history. Thomas: “I could start a project like this every week; it’s enormously satisfying to breathe new life into monuments.