In the seventeenth century, a lively migrant neighborhood emerged here with timber traders, Jewish merchants from the Mediterrean, kosher shopkeepers, and craftsmen, etc.
The island formed the core area of Amsterdam's Jewish Quarter until the destruction in the twentieth century.
The island was expanded considerably to the south and was filled with rubble, shards, and unusable ship parts.
From 1618 onwards, three small synagogues and schools were established in private houses, and after a merger, the Talmud Torah at Houtgracht served until 1675.
In 1982, construction of the Stopera began, the combined city hall and Opera building that stood on the site of the demolished blocks and was finished in 1986.