A building on Marnixstraat near Leidseplein that was renamed ‘Hotel Mokum’ by a group of squatters in 2021 is still empty more than three years after its eviction. The former hotel looks dilapidated, including broken windows, peeling paint and holes in the wall.
Neighbor Linda Duits lives two doors away. She peers through her neighbor’s window. Just rubbish is her description. “It’s really a mystery to me,” she says. “And it is an eternal shame. Because you can see, here at the door it is peeling further. So it is really a building in disrepair.”
Squatted and cleared more than three years ago
Mid-October 2021. A group of squatters squats in the closed hotel, which still has a sign saying ‘Hotel Marnix’ above the door. The owner, LRL Vastgoed, reports the incident. After about forty days, the municipality decides to vacate the building and the squatters leave Marnixstraat.
The way seems to be clear to restore the empty hotel and prepare it for new visitors. To the horror of neighbor Linda Indische, nothing has come of this to this day. “So nothing happens,” she explains. “Every now and then you see some men going in and then I think: could something finally happen? You never see vans, there is never really any life.”
Owner unavailable for comment
Owner Cheu Jung Shu of LRL Vastgoed did not respond to NH’s questions. He was asked what plans he has for the building, what work he is carrying out and what developments he has implemented after the eviction. Silence, and so it is guesswork what exactly is going on.
Inquiry with the municipality clarifies something. Construction is currently allowed and there are no objections from local residents. So no obstacles from that angle, but at the same time no visible development. The municipal supervisor last visited in the second half of 2023 and noted construction activity.
It is rare for a building to remain vacant for so long
Real estate expert Martijn Winnen sheds light on the situation. “The municipality should now withdraw the permit or demand that the owner start working on it,” he indicates. “But then also seriously work on it, so don’t just do something for a few days and then leave again.”
The fact remains that little visible has happened in recent years. “I don’t think the municipality is on top of this well enough, because they have a lack of capacity,” said Winnen. “I don’t think it’s an unwillingness on the part of the municipality. That man has a permit and can build. It’s a matter of finances or arguments with his partners.”
For the real estate expert, it is a situation that he has not experienced in Amsterdam for a long time. “You hardly find something that has been empty for so long, so centrally located in the city.” And it is a great frustration for neighbor Linda Indische. “The fact that no one can live here, has a clubhouse or, if necessary, that tourists can stay here. That is especially stinging.”