Built around 1750, De Heuvel was owned by a number of prominent Rotterdam families until 1875. After being purchased by the city of Rotterdam, the mansion and the surrounding estate became part of Het Park, an urban oasis designed in English landscape style by Jan David Zocher. Partly due to the efforts of local businesses, the people of Rotterdam were able to enjoy open-air concerts and other events in the park throughout the year.

De Heuvel was originally home to an exclusive club with a ‘limonaidière’ next door, where the many walkers could stop for a refreshing drink. Later, in the twentieth century, the listed building was occupied by a series of institutions until, badly neglected, it fell empty.

In 1985, thanks to private initiatives, De Heuvel was restored to its former glory as a meeting place in Het Park. After that thorough restoration, we opened grand café-restaurant Zocher in the building – a tribute to a great landscape architect and an historical location that appeals to the imagination.