Loft Boys at the Linnaeus Horticultural school slept here in the nineteenth century. They were taught how to plan and maintain gardens and parks. One famous pupil was Leonard Springer (1855-1940). Between 1871-1874 he completed a theoretical and practical horticultural course. His designs have been awarded prizes and demonstrated at, amongst others, the Nieuwe Ooster Cemetery (1889) and the Ooster Park (1891).