History

In 1895 Mr. Adriaan Goekoop purchased 73 acres of dune land, which initiated the laying of the plans for the construction of the Statenkwartier. According to the transport act, the terrain, (which had been purchased by the landowner and contractor) consisted of dune grounds which contained very tall evergreen trees, forests, dune forests, wild terrain, meadows, sandy terrain, and water. Together, this uninhabited area made up the biggest part of what we today, know as the Statenkwartier.

With the beginning of the construction of the Frederik Hendriklaan, it was initially unclear if the then existing settlement of new buildings in the dunes should have been considered to be an extension of housing from Scheveningen, or from The Hague. The authorities chose for the former, so that the street numbers of the Frederik Hendriklaan would be calculated from Scheveningen, rather than from the center of The Hague, which would not have been particularly useful.

Initially, the Frederik Hendriklaan did not have any apparently special characteristics to distinguish it from other streets in the Statenkwartier. With the exception of the houses belonging to the shop owners and the small scale entrepreneurs, which were built mostly on the Aert van der Goesstraat and the Frederik Hendriklaan, the Statenkwartier became a real residential neighbourhood. The stretch of the Frederik Hendriklaan between the Prins Mauritslaan and the Johan van Oldenbarneveldlaan has always had a residential character. From its inception, the continuation of the Fred, starting at the Prins Mauritsplein, was designated for diverse shopkeepers and other entrepreneurs. In that time, people could find various businesses and organizations typical of The Hague, such as the dairy The Sierkan (now the Albert Heijn), and a branch of Krul (now, Stip Snackbar).

In the 1920's, there were activities organized in the lane. An open market of small stalls was an annual event, organized by The Hague's Union for Vacation Activities for School Children, whose aim it was to offer underprivileged children the chance to spend three vacation weeks out of doors in the fresh air.

Source: Karel Wagemans in "The Statenkwartier in Old Photos"