The five storey double step gabled houses are named for the brewery that was working in this property ~ de Oliphant ~ in the 16C and 17C.

Their present form is thought to have been the result of a fire in 1606 recorded in the city archives.

The houses are the property of Vereniging Hendrick de Keyser and a full description of their design and renovation can be found in Huizen in Nederland, Friesland en Noord Holland page 169.