The Stock Exchange was opened in 1531 to replace the old stock exchange in Hofstraat. The building, which was designed by the Antwerp architect, Domien De Waghemakere (1460-1542), burnt down on two occasions, in 1583 and 1858. he original building was constructed in 1531 by the architect Domien de Waghemakere in the elaborate Flamboyant Gothic style of the Low Countries. It was called the Handelsbeurs after the inn Huize ter Buerze in Bruges where foreign merchants had traded in the 15th century. The merchants resettled in Antwerp in the 16th century, drawn to the city by its dynamic mercantile community as well as the fabulous new stock exchange built for them.The architect incorporated a courtyard surrounded on four sides by unusual Moorish arcades. The courtyard was originally open to the sky so that God could observe the transactions. It was later roofed over to protect the merchants from the harsh northern climate.